$600m wind farm given go-ahead

THE largest wind farm in the southern hemisphere today received the go-ahead from the Victorian Government.
AGL will build the $600 million wind farm at Macarthur in the state's west.
Planning Minister Rob Hulls said the 183-turbine farm, spread over 55 square kilometres, would have the capacity to generate up to 329 megawatts of electricity.
Mr Hulls said the electricity generated would be enough to power almost 190,000 homes every year.
"The approval at the Macarthur wind farm shows that the Bracks' Government is certainly taking climate change seriously," he said today.
Mr Hulls said the wind farm would help the Government reach its target of sourcing 10 per cent of electricity from renewable energy sources by 2016.