Standing on a stoney barren field at the official opening of the $1 billion Macarthur wind farm, Dr Napthine pledged his personal support for the wind industry.

Industry and business leaders packed into a small corporate marquee yesterday to signal the end of work on the southern hemisphere’s largest wind project. 

“I think they are majestic and I actually love them,” Dr Napthine said. 

Approximately 140 turbines are spread across three properties east of Macarthur while there are plans for hundreds more in nearby Willatook, Penshurst and Hawkesdale. 

But with the launch of the wind farm yesterday came a plethora of questions over whether the government was doing enough to support the industry. 

Environmentalists pointed out this week that Macarthur was approved under the previous Labor government and would likely not get through the Coalition’s more rigorous planning laws. 

But Dr Napthine said planning laws about building wind farms at least two kilometres from homes — subject to landowner objections — won’t be changing under his government. 

He blamed the high Australian dollar and a “competitive electricity energy market” for stymying the wind industry. 

“There’s over 11,000 wind towers in Victoria that have approval that are waiting to be built — it’s not the planning laws that are delaying the construction of wind farms in Victoria,” he said. 

“The Coalition was elected in 2010 on the platform of a fair balance with respect to planning laws — a balance between certainty for wind energy companies and a balance for local land owners.” 

This week, turbine manufacturers, such as Portland’s Keppel Prince, have also warned they’ll go out of business if they don’t get government help to stem the flow of imported turbines. 

Dr Napthine described companies using imported towers as “totally unacceptable”. 

“They should first and foremost use australian built towers that provide local jobs,” he said. 

“The government can support Keppel Prince by urging people involved in the wind energy industry to use Australian made wind towers.”

AGL and Vestas leaders used the opening to talk up the renewable energy target (RET) which has an uncertain future if the federal Coalition gains power in September.

AGL CEO Michael Fraser talked up the RET — which subsidises companies investing in turbines. 

“The project would not have got off the ground with out the RET,” Mr Fraser said.

“A billion dollar investment requires political stability and bipartisan political support for the RET was the key for Macarthur to proceed,” Vestas head Ditlev Engel said. 

Meridian Energy did not speak at the function — despite being a partner in the project. 

In January the head of the state-owned New Zealand company Mark Binns said  Meridian might sell its stake in the wind farm.