Victorian councils call for solar planning guidelines and clarity from State Government

A council in north-east Victoria has raised concerns about a lack of guidance around approving and reviewing solar planning projects.

While wind farms must be approved by Victoria's planning
 minister, solar farm approval falls to local government.

Campaspe Shire Council is reviewing plans for the development of a solar and battery project in Stanhope and is expected to vote on the issue this month.

The 30MW solar and 100MW battery project has been proposed by Australian-owned developer GloBird Energy and is estimated to cost $150 million.

If approved the battery would be the biggest in Victoria, with GloBird arguing it is needed to insure the local grid against power fluctuations from the big solar farms in Girgarre, Lancaster, and those proposed for Shepparton.

Read the ABC News story by Mahalia Dobson and Rhianon Tuffield - “Victorian councils call for solar planning guidelines and clarity from State Government.”

Environment watchdog could slap tougher emissions caps on power plants

Victoria’s environmental watchdog is reviewing the licences of the state’s three remaining coal-fired power plants, amid claims toxic emissions have contributed to an unusually high number of low-birthweight babies in the Latrobe Valley and even poisoned native dolphins.

Burrunan dolphins in the Gippsland Lakes have 

recorded some of the highest mercury levels in the world.

The Environment Protection Authority is considering imposing tighter emissions caps on the three power stations, Yallourn, Loy Yang A and Loy Yang B, which together supply about 80 per cent of the state’s electricity.

At the end of the review, revised licence conditions will set legal emissions levels for potentially harmful substances including nitrogen, carbon monoxide, sulphur, mercury and particulate matter.

But the EPA has given no indication it will impose new limits on carbon dioxide emissions, despite calls from Victorian environmental groups to do so as a way to tackle global warming.

Combined, the plants emit about one-third of Victoria’s greenhouse gases.

Read Adam Carey’s story in The Age - “Environment watchdog could slap tougher emissions caps on power plants.”