Wattle Point Wind Farm

Wattle Point Wind Farm is a wind farm near Edithburgh on the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia, which has been operating since April 2005. When it was officially opened in June of that year it was Australia's largest wind farm at 91MW. The installation consists of 55 wind turbines covering 17.5km2and was built at a cost of 180 million Australian dollars. It is connected to ETSA Utilities electricity transmission system via a 132 kilovolt line.The location was chosen after identification as having one of mainland Australia's highest average wind speeds. The wind farm was officially opened by South Australian Premier Mike Rann and Southern Hydro Chairman, Dr Keith Turner. The opening was opposed by some of the local Indigenous Australians, the Adjahdura (or Narungga). A descendant of the traditional landowners argued that construction desecrated an ancient burial ground, disturbing skeletons in the construction of turbine number four. Work was halted in late 2004 after the discovery of human remains, artefacts and tools. The Aboriginal Affairs Department, and the developers, separately commissioned archaeological reports resulting in the development allowed to proceed with five towers being repositioned. Both reports concluded that the bones had come from elsewhere on the peninsula, being later reburied at Wattle Point. The region's aboriginal community was divided on construction; Narungga National Aboriginal Corporation supporting development and the Narungga Heritage Committee strongly opposing.