Despite its longstanding reliance on coal, Australia is steadily transitioning away from fossil fuels to greener alternatives. The government has made ambitious pledges to close the country’s coal mines and expand its wind and solar energy operations. This includes the development of the largest wind farm in the southern hemisphere, as well as massive solar power and battery projects. However, environmentalists worry that Australia may not be as successful at leaving coal behind as it hopes, potentially to the detriment of its green transition.
In Queensland, the Spanish renewable energy giant Acciona is currently developing the biggest onshore wind farm in the southern hemisphere, covering around 36,000 hectares. The project is located around 200km south-west of Brisbane in an area that has been plagued by drought in recent years.
Many farmers in the region have become more open to using their land for…
