Mount Fox wind farm sparks local net-zero fight

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes · Last updated: 29 September 2026

Gawara Baya, a wind project that includes 68 turbines and a 100-megawatt battery, is due to begin construction near Mount Fox in north Queensland after Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners bought the development from WindLab. As first reported by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the buyer said funding was in place and construction would begin "imminently." The site covers 148 hectares close to the Wet Tropics; the closest turbine will sit about 5 kilometres from the world‑heritage border. Local residents, about 84 in Mount Fox, say the 140-metre turbines and a proposed 35-year lifespan pose biodiversity, health and end‑of‑life concerns.

If I have to lie down in front of a bulldozer, you know. We're serious. It can't happen. It's wrong for this place.

Kim Armstrong

What Gawara Baya will be and who is funding it

Gawara Baya is a utility-scale wind farm planned on 148 hectares near the dormant Mount Fox volcano, comprising 68 turbines and a 100-megawatt battery. Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) bought the development from WindLab and said funding was ready; CIP told local media construction would begin "imminently."

Project CEO Mark Branson said the build would employ about 500 people, most accommodated in an onsite village. The company presents the development as part of a wave of projects seeking grid capacity under the federal government's Capacity Investment Scheme, which guarantees a floor price for electricity to lower investor risk.

Why some Mount Fox residents oppose the project

Mount Fox near Ingham has about 84 residents, and opposition is organised through Keep Mount Fox Wild, which founder Kim Armstrong says includes about half the town. Armstrong and other locals cite worries about the 140-metre turbines' impact on biodiversity, runoff toward the Great Barrier Reef and what happens after an expected 35-year life cycle.

Armstrong framed the conflict as local people bearing the costs of a national net-zero drive decided in Canberra, and she has not ruled out direct action to stop construction. That opposition coexists with residents who welcome the jobs and investment the build could bring, leaving the community divided.

The federal policy context that enabled this project

The Capacity Investment Scheme is designed to help reach the government's 82 per cent renewables target by 2030 by reducing revenue risk for new generators. Grattan Institute climate and energy program director Alison Reeve said Gawara Baya is the first wind farm to move to construction under that scheme and that the project breaking financial close could unlock more east-coast builds.

The scheme works by guaranteeing a price for electricity: when wholesale prices fall below a set level the government subsidises the difference, and when prices rise above that level the government shares profits. Gawara Baya also reduced investor risk by securing agreements for electricity purchases with two companies instead of the typical single buyer, a structural detail the industry views as significant.

Local economic arguments and political reactions

Hinchinbrook Shire Council deputy mayor Mary Brown said community meetings were well attended and that the project offers a chance to diversify an economy where, she notes, one in three jobs in Ingham are in the sugar industry. Brown pointed to benefits seen during the Powerlink transmission‑line build, where local accommodation, hospitality and services gained work from a major construction phase.

Canegrowers and local businesses may gain from supply and service contracts, but opponents counter that tourism and local amenity risk long-term harm. The split in local views underscores that economic gains during construction do not resolve the environmental and lifecycle questions residents raise.

How this could help—and where it could stall

The bottom line

Gawara Baya is both a practical step under federal policy and a flashpoint for how net-zero infrastructure sits in small communities. The project bundles large technical numbers—68 turbines, a 100-megawatt battery, 148 hectares and a claimed 500 construction jobs—with policy support from the Capacity Investment Scheme that backs the government's 82 per cent renewables aim by 2030. At the same time, local organisers such as Kim Armstrong and Keep Mount Fox Wild have framed biodiversity, reef runoff and lifecycle disposal as unresolved issues that could delay or reshape the build. How those risks are managed will determine whether Gawara Baya becomes a template for further east-coast projects or a cautionary example of local resistance.

What to watch

• Watch for Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners to confirm a firm construction start date; no date has been set.
• Watch for any legal filings or injunctions from Keep Mount Fox Wild or local residents after construction crews mobilise; no date has been set.
• Watch for the first delivery of turbine components or public notices about the onsite accommodation village; no date has been set.