Victoria approves biggest wind farm in southern hemisphere

Key points

• Victoria has cleared the Warracknabeal Energy Park, which developer WestWind Energy says would be the largest wind farm in the Southern Hemisphere. Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny signed off on the project, which needs final checks from the federal environment minister.
• The plan covers 219 turbines across 26,000 hectares of farmland in the Wheatbelt, along with two battery storage systems. The developer says it would produce 1.5 gigawatts of power and create close to 950 construction jobs.
• Local figures have raised concerns about housing, hospital services and transmission lines, while a farmer who owns the land backs the project.