Media Release

Peter Gutwein MP
Shadow Minister for Energy

Friday 5th February 2010

Musselroe Windfarm collapse?

The $400 million Musselroe Windfarm appears to be dead in the water.

A number of concerned workers have contacted me to say that they understand that work on site will stop by the end of next week.

I have spoken to the Mayor of Dorset, Barry Jarvis, and he has told me that last night he was informed by concerned local businesses in Gladstone that they understood workers will soon leave the site.

The Energy Minister, David Llewellyn, must clarify whether or not this project is likely to collapse. This project is very important to the northern economy, as jobs would be generated in the construction phase and local engineering firms were expecting to be building the major wind towers.

The $400 million project is one of the largest construction projects planned for the north of the state in coming years and if it doesn’t go ahead jobs, investment and confidence will be effected.

Minister Llewellyn has been reluctant to put all the facts on the table and it is about time he came clean.

We desperately need this investment in renewable energy to go ahead and it is unacceptable that the Minister is sitting on his hands while the project collapses around him.