Waddi Wind and Solar Farm
RPS is supporting Tilt Renewables to progress an innovative renewable energy initiative featuring both wind and solar generation technologies near Dandaragan in Western Australia.
Challenge
As Australia transitions towards more renewable energy generation, detailed environmental studies, strategies and plans are required to protect important flora, fauna and ecological communities and secure development approvals. RPS environmental specialists have been supporting Tilt Renewables to investigate, understand and proactively manage potential impacts as its progresses the Waddi Wind and Solar Farm project in the Wheatbelt region, around 170 km North of Perth.
Solution
Throughout the project’s development phase, several scope changes were made including an increase in the maximum tip height of the wind turbines (to improve generation capacity) and the addition of a solar array component to the original development proposal which had only included the wind farm. Revisions to the alignment of transmission infrastructure meant that power lines would traverse a conservation park managed by the Department of Biodiversity Conversation and Attraction (DBCA).
Our team completed a series of baseline ecological assessments to inform where new infrastructure would be placed, minimise impacts to local flora, fauna and ecological communities, and comply with the provisions of Western Australia’s Environmental Protection Act 1986 and conditions of Shire of Dandaragan’s development consent. A targeted flora and vegetation survey and black cockatoo habitat assessment was undertaken by our specialists for the overhead transmission line alignment and a targeted flora and vegetation survey undertaken for the solar array.
Informed by the findings and our team’s advice, Tilt Renewables has been able to minimise the clearing of native vegetation and avoid impacts to significant flora species and vegetation within the DBCA-managed Conservation Park. A project-wide clearing permit application was prepared by our team, which included a DBCA-approved Hygiene Protocol to allow the wind farm to be constructed and connected to the nearby Cataby substation, while preventing pathogens and weed species being introduced to the Conservation Park.
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