Wind Energy Projects
The following projects demonstrate the scope of BL&A services and the depth of experience of our personnel. These projects have been undertaken since 2001. The company has particularly strong experience with development projects associated with significant controversy by providing sound scientific foundations for impact assessment and regulator assessment. Virtually all projects have involved vegetation and/or fauna habitat assessment and mapping.
BL&A is one of Australia’s leading specialists in flora and fauna impact assessment and management for wind energy projects. We have worked on over 80 proposed or constructed wind energy projects in all Australian states. Our services to this developing industry are summarised below.
Identifying if significant flora, fauna and ecological communities occur on a site.- Assessing the potential risk to flora, ground fauna and ecological communities resulting from all components of a wind farm, including wind turbines and related infrastructure, such as access roads, sub-stations, staging areas and powerlines.
- Scoping ecological investigations to meet regulatory requirements.
- Assessing the potential risk of wind farms to bird and bat strike.
- Designing and implementing site-specific bird and bat utilisation survey programs.
- Designing and implementing targeted rare species investigations to better understand wind farm design constraints and impacts.
- Bird and Bat Collision Risk Modeling using our advanced, proprietary modeling package to:
- Understand geographical differences in the use of wind farm sites by species of concern;
- Comparing different wind farm layouts and turbine numbers to enable optimisation of wind farm layout to minimise collision risk; and
- Present modeling results with appropriate statistical confidence limits.
These features of the BL&A collision risk model represent a significant improvement in the capacity to estimate collision rates in different parts of a wind farm, and to change wind farm layout and understand how collision rate responds to changes in layout and turbine numbers. This enables proponents to demonstrate how changes to wind farm layout and turbine numbers can reduce collision risk, a question often asked by government decision-makers.
- Developing species-specific and general ecological impact mitigation and offset measures, including input to Construction and Operational Environmental Management Plans.
- Preparing Construction and Operation of Environmental Management Plans for flora and fauna. Plans prepared are related to:
- Terrestrial fauna management;
- Bird and bat monitoring and management;
- Native vegetation and rare plant management;
- Pest plant and animal management;
- Salvage and relocation of threatened fauna species;
- Methods for mitigating the impacts of both construction and operation of wind farm projects on native vegetation, threatened flora and fauna and sensitive ecosystems; and
- Comprehensive documentation detailing the implementation of management plans for audit and compliance purposes.
- Monitoring bird and bat mortality and disturbance at wind farms.
- Liaising with relevant stakeholders on flora and fauna issues, including bird and bat strike.
- Preparing documentation to meet regulatory requirements.
Examples of Wind Energy Projects include:
- Alberton Wind Farm, VIC;
- Ararat Wind Farm, VIC;
- Barn Hill Wind Farm, SA;
- Baynton Wind Farm, VIC;
- Berrimal Wind Farm, VIC;
- Bridgewater Lakes Wind Farm, VIC;
- Badgingarra Wind Farm, WA;
- Bald Hills Wind Farm, VIC;
- Barn Hill Wind Farm, SA;
- Cape Nelson, Cape Bridgewater, VIC;
- Collector Wind Farm, NSW;
- Crookwell Wind Farm, NSW;
- Emu Downs Wind Farm, WA;
- Hallet Hill Wind Farm, SA;
- Hawkesdale Wind Farm, VIC;
- Jims Plain Wind Farm, TAS;
- Lal Lal Wind Farm, VIC;
- Lexton Wind Farm, VIC;
- Macarthur Wind Farm, VIC;
- Molonglo Wind Farm, NSW;
- Moorabool Wind Farm, VIC;
- Mortlake Wind Farm, VIC;
- Mt Gambier Wind Farm, SA;
- Mt Gellibrand Wind Farm, VIC;
- Mt Mercer Wind Farm, VIC;
- Mt Miller Wind Farm, SA;
- Naroghid Wind Farm, VIC;
- Nilgen Wind Farm, WA;
- Nirranda Wind Farm, VIC.
- Nirranda South Wind Farm, VIC;
- Portland Wind Energy Project, VIC;
- Queenscliff Wind Farm, VIC;
- Rugby Wind Farm, NSW;
- Ryan Corner Wind Farm, VIC.
- Scott River Wind Farm, WA;
- South East Queensland Wind Farm, QLD;
- Starfish Hill Wind Farm, SA;
- Stockyard Hill Wind Farm, VIC;
- Taralga Wind Farm, NSW;
- Toora Wind Farm, VIC.
- Tuki Wind Farm, VIC;
- Wattle Point Wind Farm, SA;
- Waitpinga Wind Farm, SA;
- White Rock Wind Farm, TAS;
- Wonthaggi Wind Farm, VIC;
- Woolsthorpe Wind Farm, VIC;
- Yaloak Wind Farm, VIC;
- Yaloak South Wind Farm, VIC; and
- Yarram Wind Farm, VIC.
For more detailed information on our services, please contact us
