Regulation 131G requires a WEF operator to engage an acoustician to determine procedures and conduct monitoring to ensure that wind turbine noise from the facility complies with the noise limits or the applicable alternative monitoring point criteria every five years.

Under this regulation, on and from 1 January 2024 WEF operators will be required to:

• engage a suitably qualified and experienced acoustician:
  • to determine the procedures to be used during the monitoring and assessment – this may include reviewing procedures used during previous monitoring and assessment events, or included in an NMP, and updating these procedures to account for changes to the environment or other factors over time
  • to conduct monitoring to show that the facility continues to comply with the noise limits or the applicable alternative monitoring point criteria and prepare a monitoring report 
• engage an environmental auditor to review the monitoring report
• give a copy of the monitoring report and auditor’s report to EPA.

Similar to the approach described for the annual statement, the procedures required for the five-yearly wind turbine noise monitoring should also adopt a response proportionate to the risk of harm from noise emissions.

If the procedures determined by the acoustician when undertaking five-yearly wind turbine noise monitoring differ from those contained within the NMP, the procedures in the NMP should be updated accordingly.