CEC Media Release: Ceres Wind Farm underlines importance of Renewable Energy Target.

Clean Energy Council Chief Executive David Green congratulated Senvion Australia (formerly REpower Australia) on the approval of the wind farm on South Australia's Yorke Peninsula, which will provide enough renewable energy to power the equivalent of 225,000 homes a year.

"While this project still has a long way to go, it promises substantial benefits for the South Australian economy, provided Australia retains a robust Renewable Energy Target," Mr Green said.   

"It will also be the largest wind farm in the Southern Hemisphere when completed in 2016 – a title currently held by AGL's Macarthur Wind Farm in western Victoria.

"The Renewable Energy Target is due to be reviewed this year and, if left alone to do its job, will continue to provide an incentive for clean energy projects such as Ceres that provide hundreds of direct and flow-on jobs for the local economy," he said.

More than a quarter of South Australia's power now comes from wind energy, and at times the equivalent of more than half of the state's power comes from its wind farms.

Over $18 billion has been invested in clean energy to date behind Australia’s Renewable Energy Target, which is designed to provide at least 20 per cent of Australia's electricity from sources such as solar, wind, hydro and bioenergy by the end of the decade.

Mr Green also congratulated the South Australian Government, which he said had struck a good balance between a policy environment that attracted major renewable energy investment while ensuring the voice of the community was heard in the development process.