Decarbonising Australia’s energy market is central to addressing climate change.

Gawara Baya will generate enough clean energy to power up to 240,000 Australian homes, eliminating more than 1.2 million tonnes of carbon emissions from the energy market every year.

North Queensland’s renewable energy resources are strategically important to supporting Australia’s clean energy transition. The region is also home to national parks and wilderness as well as a diverse range of industries coexisting side-by-side, including mining and agriculture.

The project site is a long-established cattle grazing property that includes disturbed and degraded areas, and existing access tracks that we have used in the project design.

Following more than two years’ in-depth environmental studies and consultation, we have delivered a project design that preserves more than 98% of native vegetation on the cattle property where the project is located.

We recognise the value of the region’s ecology, as well as the importance of biodiversity in ensuring a healthy climate.

We take our role in supporting the twin objectives of climate decarbonisation and biodiversity conservation seriously. We are targeting net-positive biodiversity outcomes that respond specifically to the local scale impacts of the project.

These include:

• Maintaining species populations present in the project area.
• Achieving a demonstrated reduction in weeds and predatory pests that post a major threat to native species and habitat both in the project area and across offsets.
• Implementing protective fire management programs in collaboration with Traditional Owners and environmental experts that deliver a regional ecological benefit.
• Contributing to an increase in the ecological knowledge of key species to support sanctioned species recovery and broad preservation programs, including as a Tier 1 Monitoring site for the CSIRO’s National Koala Monitoring Program.
• Delivering leading-practice offsets in collaboration with regional conservation experts to improve the quantum and quality of habitat in the region.

The comprehensive regulatory review process for wind farms in Queensland requires distinct approvals from Local, State and Federal Government authorities.

Ecological assessment requirements for the Queensland Government's State Assessment and Referral Agency are prescribed in State code 23: Wind farm development.

The project is being assessed by Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. This is the Commonwealth legislative framework that protects and manages nationally and internationally significant flora, fauna, ecological communities, and heritage places.

Responsive design informed by robust science and regional insights

As a direct result of the project’s extensive consultation and environmental study work spanning more than two years, Windlab has refined the project from its original 136-turbine concept design to an approximately 70-turbine layout, removing about 50 turbines from the southern extent of the project area.

This was a proactive decision, made to:

• Avoid discrete habitats present across the cattle property on which the project will be located.
• Minimise habitat fragmentation.
• Reduce cumulative impacts association with other renewable energy projects proposed for the region.
• Reduce the overall footprint of the project.
• Minimise the visual impact to the community of Mount Fox and from the Mount Fox summit, in line with community feedback.