ERGON Energy’s decision to offer the power purchase agreement (PPA) to Mount Emerald Wind Farm – to progress a 170 megawatt (MW) wind farm in the State’s far north – has been warmly received in numerous circles.

This joint venture between Ratch Australia and Port Bajool is timely and testament to the endeavours and drive of the Morris family of Port Douglas, key architects behind the project.

If executed, the offer of a PPA to Mount Emerald Wind Farm would secure 170MW of renewable energy for Queensland – 20MW more than the original expression of interest (EOI) had sought.

The proponent of Mount Emerald Wind Farm has advised that during the construction phase, employment will peak at more than 150 jobs.

In terms of investment and economic activity, the projections are for more $400 million in total expenditure in the region over the two-year construction and 25-year life of the project; with more than $900 million when all indirect flow-on impacts are taken into account over the same period.

Douglas Shire mayor Julia Leu said this is fantastic news and congratulated the Queensland Government, Ergon Energy, Port Bajool and Ratch Australia for their commitment towards this ground-breaking and innovative renewable energy project.

“This is exactly the type of industry we should be embracing, even more so in our region. This is a massive investment that will diversify our economy and has the potential to attract further investment,” she said.

“Everyone will benefit as this helps in the fight against climate change, our efforts to save the Great Barrier Reef and will provide much needed jobs in an industry of the future.

“I particularly want to commend Port Bajool, the Morris family and Ratch Australia for sticking with what has been a long and at times arduous journey to get to where they are today,” Leu said.

The offer was also well received by the Douglas Chamber of Commerce.

“This is excellent news. The Mt Emerald Wind Farm has many benefits, but the most important being the benefit to our environment when harnessing renewable energy,” said Douglas Chamber of Commerce president Helen De Ross.

“This is a timely development with the proposed increase to electricity for Regional Queensland.

“The Douglas Chamber of Commerce congratulates the Morris family and the work they have done on this project as well as the investment required for the betterment of the region,” she said.

Councillor Michael Kerr said this is a great step forward for renewable energy sources.

“It is great to see it happening in the Far North. This project has been a long road for the developer and I am very happy to see it finally coming to fruition,” he said.

The state government has also welcomed the offer and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said her government is committed to embracing new industries, including bio-fuels and large-scale renewable energy, to generate more jobs and attract more investment.

Ms Palaszczuk said the government (at the last election) committed to a public inquiry into establishing Queensland’s 50 per cent renewable energy target by 2030.

“If executed, the offer of a PPA to Mount Emerald Wind Farm would secure 170MW of renewable energy for Queensland – 20MW more than the EOI had sought,” she said.

In 2012, John Morris, a director of Port Bajool, said the proposed wind farm promised “a reliable source of renewable energy on our doorsteps” that could power about 75,000 homes.

He said it would provide energy security in a crisis, should power lines go down, and the shorter transmission distance to the Cairns market would ease cost pressure on power bills.

Mr Morris said the main transmission lines would run through the property and wherever possible, they had moved the turbines into the plateau to make them less visible.

While some would be visible, he said they had done their “very best to minimise the impact”.

The Minister for Energy, Biofuels and Water Supply, Mark Bailey, said this was a major step forward for Queensland.

“To put this into perspective, the electricity it could generate could power a city of the size of Mackay.

“Far North Queenslanders have longed for their own power station for a long time and now there is one in the pipeline which will deliver 100 per cent carbon neutral clean power using the latest technology,” said Bailey.