Community meeting, 27th June 2022, Tablelands Community Centre.

Thank you for attending the meeting at the TCC on Monday. It is difficult to discuss a topic about which very little is known, but the response from the community was very encouraging with over 50 people attending, and we now have some information to investigate further. Below are some of the topics that were raised at the meeting. This is not a complete list, rather a condensed summary, and I have added some information to clarify some points. None of the information is guaranteed to be correct.

No planning permit application has been lodged with the government. The Victorian State Government Minister for Planning is the responsible authority for all power generation projects of 1MW and greater. See https://planning-schemes.app.planning.vic.gov.au/All%20schemes/amendments/VC192?schemeCode=alpi General information on wind farms and a list of projects available here: https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/permits-and-applications/specific-permit-topics/wind-energy-facilities

Many landowners have been contacted by representatives of FERA and Tilt, but FERA seems to have gone quiet and Tilt have reportedly dropped interest in the project. Signing a contract does not guarantee that towers will be built. FERA: https://www.ferasrl.it/en/ Tilt: https://www.tiltrenewables.com/

No wind surveys have been carried out yet as far as we know. This needs to be done to see if a wind farm is viable in each location. Involves the erection of a weather station type device, typically for many months.This would be done after signing contracts with landowners Are the developers aware of the severe storms across the region in recent times?

Noise: Victorian standards are based on NZ standards and are subject to interpretation. Cherry Tree and Mitchell Shire have already been to VCAT over this. Setback distance: In Victoria this is now 1km from a residence.

Loss of visual amenity: No-one owns a view, but large building projects do have restrictions on loss of visual amenity. Does this apply to wind farms? The impact on our environment will be very large.

Construction site issues. Delivery of equipment to tower sites. How can they get an 87m long blade along any of the current roads in the district? Who pays for road upgrades/upkeep during construction (this could actually be beneficial to the community). Local access to tower sites. Will this involve the creation of new roads through properties? Soil depth across the region varies, but is often shallow, leading to rapid erosion problems when disturbed.

Suitability of Strathbogie granite as foundation for very large structures. Maybe contact Neil Phillips for information on the structure of subsurface granite, although Cherry Tree wind farm probably sets a precedent that it is ok. Installation of power lines between towers and substations. Reported to be underground, but what about the granite? Could be economically unfeasible, leading to above ground lines.

Transmission lines need to be constructed between wind farm substations and the main grid. Reported route to be toward Alexandra. These lines may be on properties that otherwise have no involvement with the wind farm project. These lines do need planning approval, see https://planning-schemes.app.planning.vic.gov.au/All%20schemes/amendments/VC157?schemeCode=alpi

Operation issues. Will the wind farm owners have any caveats on landowners properties? Decommissioning. Will the eventual wind farm owners honour contractual agreements to dismantle the towers and return sites to original condition. If they act like most mining companies… probably not.

Aircraft and Firefighting. Are there restrictions on aircraft operating in the vicinity of wind farms? There is a lot of light plane traffic across the region as Mangalore is not far away. Are there restrictions on aerial firefighting appliances operating near wind farms or transmission lines? Given the hilly nature of the region heli-attack and water bombers are vital in supressing fires.

From the CFA Guidelines For Wind Energy Facilities 2017: “Wind turbines should be located approximately 300 metres apart. This provides adequate distance for aircraft to operate around a Wind Energy Facility given the appropriate weather and terrain conditions. Fire suppression aircraft operate under “Visual Flight Rules”. As such, fire suppression aircraft only operate in areas where there is no smoke and during daylight hours. Wind turbines, similar to high voltage transmission lines, are part of the landscape and would be considered in the incident action plan;”