GPG wins court battle over permit for 97-MW wind project in Victoria

The Victorian Court of Appeal has blocked a bid for a new appeal against the extended planning permit for Global Power Generation’s (GPG) 97-MW Hawkesdale wind project in the Aussie state.

The case was brought by a group of Hawkesdale residents who sought to appeal a decision by the Supreme Court last August that dismissed the legal challenge over the permit extension. The community group had requested leave to appeal the decision, arguing that the permit extension was invalid and an error of law.

Three Court of Appeal justices on Thursday found there were no grounds for appealing the ruling.

The Hawkesdale wind farm calls for the installation of 23 of Vestas Wind Systems' V136-4.2 MW machines near Warrnambool. The project was initially cleared by the Victorian government back in 2008 but the approvals expired in August 2020 and had to be extended by the state planning authorities. According to the extension, the developer has to complete construction works by August 2023.

The project has a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the local business of US e-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc, signed back in 2020 as part of a wider procurement initiative.

GPG is a joint venture between Spanish electric and gas utility Naturgy Energy Group SA and Kuwait Investment Authority.

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