A $40 MILLION renewable energy project is set to become a reality in the Southern Downs region,
with construction of the Rabbit Ridge Wind Farm to begin as early as mid-2017.

The Rabbit Ridge Wind Farm, to be constructed at Dalveen, will include both wind and solar installations.

The project will take approximately six months to construct, and could be completed by the end of 2017.

Up to 30 jobs are anticipated to be created during the construction phase, with a further one to two new permanent jobs on completion of the development.

Opportunities will be open for local contractors and businesses to provide services and supplies during construction, and on completion to meet ongoing servicing and maintenance needs for the wind farm operation.

Southern Downs Mayor Tracy Dobie welcomed news that the wind farm will proceed in the region.

"This is an innovative project that will help provide renewable energy for our region from a sustainable source," Cr Dobie said.

"It will help offset the emission of greenhouse gases from traditional coal fired power stations.

"It also sends a message to investors that the Southern Downs is open for business and we are keen to attract investment in major projects in our region that offer positive outcomes for jobs, for the environment, for the community and businesses, and for allied industries like tourism.

Southern Downs Portfolio Councillor for Planning and Property, Neil Meiklejohn also applauded the development which aligns with the Southern Downs Community Plan 2030 goal to encourage the widespread use of renewable energy sources including solar and wind power.

"The generation of renewable energy and the use of low emission technology is also supported by the planning scheme," Cr Meiklejohn said.

"Under the scheme's strategic framework, as a strategy for mitigating climate change, Council wants developments that are designed to reduce the carbon footprint of the Southern Downs with reduced car and electricity use.

"So it's great to see that this new infrastructure will go forward and, once up and running, will support the local grid by providing clean locally produced power of a high quality."

A Rabbit Ridge spokesperson said the company believes the new development will be a very positive move for the region, and particularly those areas supplied by the Stanthorpe and Pozieres substations.

"The wind farm will first and foremost provide a new level of security for the power supply to Stanthorpe and district," said the spokesperson.

"As part of the construction, we will need to establish approximately three kilometres of new 33 Kv line from the wind farm operation to the substation on Amiens Road, Pozieres.

"Existing sub optimal poles and wire will be consolidated to provide a tidier more robust asset, at the cost of Rabbit Ridge."

The scaled back project from eight to six turbines will employ the latest developments in turbine efficiency and acoustic performance to deliver 90% of the area's power requirements.

As storage technology develops then dispatch of over 100% will be possible.

The Rabbit Ridge spokesperson said based on a fairly heavy use of power of 8MWh per annum per household, the 50GWh of renewable energy anticipated to be generated by the wind farm would power about 6000 homes.

"It takes about 500kg of coal to produce one MWh of power, which represents about 100,000 tonnes of coal annually," said the wind farm spokesperson.

"To put that in context, it equates to 20 truckloads of coal at 10 tonne per truck every single day of the year supply this amount of power for Stanthorpe and districts.

"Replacing this usage with clean green power, but still with the security of being part of the Ergon distribution grid, is a win for households in the region and also for our environment.

"Rabbit Ridge will work with the community to develop an asset of which the whole region will be proud."

The Mayor also highlighted that if the experience of wind farms in other locations proves the same, the Rabbit Ridge Wind Farm has the potential to become a tourist attraction.

"There are a lot of people interested in the story of renewable energy, and would be encouraged to visit and 'get up close and personal' with the turbines," said Cr Dobie.

"Rabbit Ridge has indicated that they would certainly be keen to investigate opportunities in the future for the public and school groups to visit and look at the wind farm operation.