The proposed Cellars Hill Wind Farm and Weasel Plains Solar Farm in the Central Highlands have been given federal funding.
The pair of projects has been successful through the Australian Government’s Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS).
Both renewable energy projects will be built on farmland owned by the Downie family.
The Weasel Solar Farm will occupy around 1,000 acres of agricultural land, featuring six-foot-high solar panels that will allow sheep to continue grazing beneath them.
Across the road, the Cellar Hills Wind Farm will feature up to 56 wind turbines spread across an 8460ha area.
Both projects have a combined capacity of 600 megawatts of wind and solar energy generation, with the same amount of battery storage.
Cellar Hills will connect an existing 220 kV transmission line on the Weasel site.
The two projects combined are valued at up to $1.5 billion and can power 160,000 homes.
It is also expected that the pair of renewable energy projects will create around 500 jobs during construction and 22 ongoing roles.
Tasmanian Energy and Renewables Minister Nick Duigan said the announcement confirms the state’s leadership in the national clean energy transition, building on the success of CIS support for Bell Bay Wind farm announced last year.
“This is an exciting time for Tasmania, and we congratulate the proponents for Cellars Hill and Weasel Plains on their successful bids,” Mr Duigan said.
“This outcome confirms the strength of our renewable energy pipeline and Tasmania’s vital role in powering Australia’s energy future.”
Landowners within 12km of the Cellar Hills Wind Farm will receive a $1000 rebate each year for the lifetime of the project.
Peter Downie hoped the project would benefit nearby Bothwell and the Central Highlands region.
“There are opportunities for regions of Australia that have been left behind under the old economic system,” Mr Downie said.
“Lots of country towns are dying and going backwards, but renewable energy offers the opportunity to get ahead of the game again because we’ll be using power where it’s produced.
“It’s a shame if this district misses the opportunity to capitalise on the because we’ve got plenty of wood, open ground and electricity.”
Mr Downie said the Cellar Hills Wind Farm would be designed to have minimal environmental impacts.
“Being in control of the project, you can do all the work in figuring out where the best place is to locate the turbines for minimal visual and ecological disruption.
“It’s a more common-sense type of exercise which you can’t always do from a laptop in Sydney.”
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