Australia Minister for the Environment Greg Hunt has approved construction of the Mt Emerald wind farm project in Queensland, after a prolonged delay of four years.
Construction works for the A$380m ($274m) project are likely to start in the Atherton Tablelands within a year, reports The Guardian.
Approval for the project is, however, subject to 35 strict conditions in order to minimise a harmful environmental impact.
The project has been planned to feature 63 turbines, each of which is expected to have a capacity of 3MW.
With a projected capacity of 189MW, the wind farm is likely to produce about 650 GWh of renewable energy annually.
Ratch Australia and Port Bajool are the joint developers for the power plant, which when commissioned, will be able to meet the power requirements of around 75,000 local households.
The project is expected to open up 155 job opportunities during its construction phase. Approval from the environmental department has, however, invited criticism from the local public.
The project is expected to generate A$188m for the Australian economy, of which 60% is likely to be invested directly in Far North Queensland, reports SeeNews Renewables.
According to Leichhardt Member of Parliament Warren Entsch, the renewable power station can supply cheaper and more efficient power compared to power sourced from distant coal-powered plants.
