Ark Energy accused of ‘greenwashing’ over Chalumbin wind farm
South Korean-owned Ark Energy has been accused of “greenwashing” over its plans for a controversial $1 billion wind farm adjacent to World Heritage-listed rainforests in North Queensland.
Ark Energy is awaiting final approvals from federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek for the Chalumbin wind farm. Last year it scaled back the project from 200 turbines to 86 turbines to appease environmentalists’ concerns it would damage the local ecosystem.
An artist’s impression of wind turbines on Ark Energy’s Chalumbin wind farm in North Queensland.
While several wind farms in Victoria are under threat because of new rules to protect the iconic brolga waterbird, opponents of the Chalumbin wind farm, near Ravenshoe, two hours south-west of Cairns, say it would threaten the northern greater glider, the red goshawk, the magnificent brood frog, the masked owl and the spectacled flying fox.
The Palaszczuk government earlier this month announced a review of the regulatory framework for wind farms in Queensland to build greater community confidence in clean energy projects.
The difficulties of building renewables in environmentally sensitive areas have been highlighted by two submissions to a Senate committee accusing the global company of making misleading statements about the project.
In their submission to the Senate inquiry on greenwashing, Friends of Chalumbin said Ark Energy – a subsidiary of Korea Zinc – had downplayed the environmental impact of the project to locals and the federal Environment Department.
“It may seem ironic that the very industry of so-called renewable energy that is supposed to be the epitome of ‘greenness’ is one of the most flagrant abusers of greenwashing propaganda,” it said.
“The manipulation of the
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