Ark Energy has cut its planned Chalumbin wind farm to less than half the original size after the local community and conservation stakeholders voiced major concerns about the development’s potential environmental impacts.

In the most recent changes, eight wind turbines have been removed, access roads reduced by 27km, and a sub-station relocated to reduce the internal overhead transmission line by 4 km.

The company said all up 114 wind turbines had been removed from the initial design of 200 to avoid sensitive ecological and cultural heritage sites within the project boundary.

The project completely avoided all rainforest and the nearest disturbance to the western boundary of the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area was 600m in one location and otherwise almost 1km or more, it said.

Ark Energy has finalised significant design changes for the project ahead of submitting the project’s draft Public Environment Report (PER) for the Commonwealth’s assessment.

Ark Energy development general manager for Queensland Anthony Russo said the final proposal was the result of two years of ecological assessment work and intensive consultation between the project team, investor, engineers, ecologists, Traditional Owners, stakeholders and the local community, with a shared focus on achieving nature-positive outcomes.

“Increasing renewable energy supply is urgent to reduce carbon emissions, replace fossil fuel energy sources and meet growing electricity demand,” he said.

“Conserving the natural environment and Australia’s unique biodiversity is equally important. Achieving these priorities together through sustainable development that delivers nature-positive outcomes requires robust science, an interdisciplinary approach, and careful planning and management.

“The project area for Chalumbin wind farm has an excellent wind resource and high voltage transmission lines with capacity, enabling comparatively faster connection to the grid.

“We have focused on developing a proposal that will provide a significant contribution to renewable energy capacity, as well as local social, environmental and economic benefits that outweigh the project’s unavoidable impacts.

“In addition to industry-leading community benefit funding, hundreds of jobs and millions in economic activity, this proposal provides conservation benefits for key species and a path to achieve a significant net gain for biodiversity in the project area over the longer term.”

The project area is located south-west of Ravenshoe, within the Northern Queensland Renewable Energy Zone.

The Chalumbin wind farm’s draft Public Environment Report is on public exhibition until December 16, with hard copies available at the Tablelands Regional Council office in Atherton, the Ravenshoe Library and the project’s information hub in Ravenshoe. It is also available online from the project website.