Chalumbin Wind Farm

About the project

The proponent proposed to clear 1,045 hectares of remnant and regrowth vegetation in Far North Queensland for a wind farm.

The project area was in a highly biodiverse area with the potential to impact several threatened species including the Endangered Koala.

 

Our work

January 2023 – We made a submission to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water that addressed impacts to threatened and migratory species. The submission addressed these key issues:

• Over a 20-year design life, the project is likely to result in significant sedimentation with material deposited into surface river systems, including Blunder Creek, which flows into the Herbert River.
• The project area, including the clearance envelope, contains significant areas of high-value koala habitat, which will be fragmented, degraded and destroyed.
• The project area is in one of the few remaining places in northeastern Australia that has been identified by the DAWE as likely to remain habitable for koalas under a global high emissions scenario based on scientific modelling.

 

Grassroots Movement

At each stage of the consultation process, First Nations People and grassroots community groups played a key role in organising a response to the proposal including the Jirrbal People and Rainforest Reserves.

 

Result

This project was withdrawn by the proponent in 2024. To read more about this see Conservationists welcome withdrawal of Chalumbin Wind Farm project – Queensland Conservation Council