The Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) approved Vestas St Patricks Plains Wind Farm, proposed for the Central Highlands region of Tasmania.
The approval from DCCEEW follows planning approval from the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TasCAT) in September 2025, after the planning permit issued by Central Highlands Council in July 2024 was appealed by an opposition group.
The project was referred to DCCEEW under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) in 2019 and determined to be a controlled action due to potential impacts on listed threatened species and communities (sections 18 and 18A). The assessment was completed under the bilateral agreement between the Tasmanian and Commonwealth Governments, and DCCEEW’s final approval follows its acceptance of a variation lodged in November 2025, aligning the proposal with the final version approved by TasCAT.
Over the course of its development the project’s layout was revised several times, with changes made based on collated data from two years of eagle utilisation surveys, the results of environmental surveys and technical studies, and community feedback, particularly around visual amenity.
Key changes listed in the variation included a reduction in the number of wind turbines from 67 to 44, refinement of the layout, inclusion of a small battery energy storage system (BESS) and installation of the IdentiFlight curtailment system to minimise potential impacts to wedge-tailed eagles.
Ecological assessment work also found that some species identified in the original referral either did not occur within the site or were not at risk of impact.
The project must be undertaken in accordance with the conditions specified in the approval.
St Patricks Plains Wind Farm is Vestas first project in Tasmania to achieve primary approvals.