VOA标准英语2009-Approval Given for Australia's Biggest Wind

The government has approved plans for Australia's biggest wind farm to be built near the outback town of Broken Hill in New South Wales. Almost 600 turbines will generate enough electricity for more than 400,000 homes.

A forest of giant turbines will emerge from the red dust of the Australian outback near Broken Hill, an isolated¹ town famous for its lead and zinc² mining.

The $1.7 billion project is one of the largest on-shore wind farms in the world. It eventually will cover more than 32,000 hectares. Planning permission has been granted for the first phase of development.

That phase will see the construction of 282 turbines. Preliminary approval also has been given for the installation of a further 300.

Development of the site near Broken Hill, which lies 500 kilometers southwest of Adelaide, must adhere to noise guidelines and limit the impact to the environmental.

Donna Bolton, the project manager for the Silverton Wind Farm, says its operational capacity in excess of 1,000 megawatts will make a significant contribution to the energy requirements of Australia's most populous³ state.

"It is a monster wind farm. It is fabulous⁴ in scale," she said. "The entire thing will provide enough electricity for 4.5 percent of New South Wales' electrical needs and it is about 430,000 homes for the entire project. Wind power for Australia is fantastic because it is going to be out of the cities, it is going to be where the jobs are needed, it is good for the environment, it is good for the local economies. It is a really significant part of the answer."

The New South Wales government has big plans for this type of renewable power. State Premier⁵ Nathan Rees has said that a series of wind farms across the state would reduce greenhouse gas emissions⁶ by six million tons a year.

Australia's emissions of greenhouse gases make it on a per capita basis one world's worst polluters, thanks to its reliance on cheap and abundant supplies of coal. Greenhouse gases, many of which come from burning coal and oil, are thought to contribute to global warming.

The federal government intends to ease the dependence⁷ on fossil fuels and wants to have 20 percent of Australia's electricity coming from renewable energy by 2020.

Solar and geothermal technologies are also being developed.

Some residents have opposed the construction of some wind farms in Australia, complaining that turbines produce a low-frequency drone, while others object to what they have described as "visual pollution."

1 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

2 zinc   

n.锌；vt.在...上镀锌

参考例句：

• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
• Zinc is used to protect other metals from corrosion.锌被用来保护其他金属不受腐蚀。

3 populous   

adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的

参考例句：

• London is the most populous area of Britain.伦敦是英国人口最稠密的地区。
• China is the most populous developing country in the world.中国是世界上人口最多的发展中国家。

4 fabulous   

adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的

参考例句：

• We had a fabulous time at the party.我们在晚会上玩得很痛快。
• This is a fabulous sum of money.这是一笔巨款。

5 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

6 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

7 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。