Burrendong Wind Farm

The problems I have read is the potential for turbines to adversely affect the following: wild animals, directly or by collisions, and indirectly due to noise pollution, Also, habitat loss, reduce production or survival. The wind turbine blades harm wildlife and kill thousands of migratory birds while they produce electricity. I am talking about the movement (low frequency noise) exposure on farm animals. Investigation is needed in more detail, if the wind farms on farm land will cause decreased milk on dairy cows, stress, and lower weight . Also the shadows from the blades flickering when in the sun while rotating may cause behavioral changes and agitation. Also, Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) may disrupt animals biological functions, sleep and reproductive cycles. I hope that our veterinary researchers provide reports of the above findings before more wind farms have the go ahead. This area is mostly farm land. What research has been done by veterinary researchers in NSW or Australia?

The POWER Over Head lines: Various studies have been done on the health risk that low-frequency magnetic fields could be carcinogenic or cause cancer. I am convinced that it does - therefore I would oppose these large over head power lines being near or on my property. Do the Wind Field Developers have such a report - 2023? I have read humans RF (Radio Frequency) and EMF can cause neurological cognitive disorders.

What about property values on farms?

As I understand government will give public land to private wind farm developers.

Another negative issue is unemployment in competing industries, decrease on farm and housing in close proximity to a wind farm. Who is to say why electric y bills will not increase. .........! Will there be a study by the wind farm developers on future savings for families??? (this does not include the persons allowing wind farms and large over head power lines to go on their property.

China has the largest solar farms and wind farms in the world is there any research that has been done which we can review? Before even thinking about agreeing to wind farms and solar farms in Australia? (Gansu Wind Farms in China)

What have we learned/research from the Australia wind farms in Australia
- M'intyre Wind Farm Project, Coopers Gap wind Farm and several others regarding the above issues?

Who and how will we get rid of the wind farms as the equipment starts to deteriorate? Where can all the toxic waste go?

Also, what consideration was reviewed regarding air plane flight paths in our area will they be changed?

I still for many years could not understand why Australia has not put in one or two Hydroelectric Power Dams and for electricity and water?

There are to many unknowns for wind farms, overhead power lines, solar farms and more thought has to go into this system of gaining electricity for Australia. The people living in the cities do not have to much to worry about - it is all farm land and land KLM's from the cities. Those supporting wind farms etc, are doing it for financial reasons - in my opinion .. I strongly object to wind farms etc, our area. I want to protect our land, animals, water, humans, landscapes, tourism and the environment now and in the future. I am in hope before these farms can go forward we have researches coming up with better solutions.

I believe that the construction phase of wind farms generates an un-removable carbon footprint and the energy generated by a wind farm fails to supply consumers with the power they want when they want it.

Due the the variability of winds and the inherent limitations of turbine generating capacity, wind farms cannot fulfill the business case as a substitute for base-load energy generation.

Ark Energy’s reputation was cemented with their development of the Chalumbin Wind farm in QLD. The only apparent change is that they changed the name of the Chalumbin Wind farm, there have been no improvements in Ark Energy’s mode of operation.

It appears that Ark Energy really don’t like Koalas. Burrendong is an aboriginal word for Koala and yet again Ark Energy are doing their very best to destroy Koala habitat. QLD studies demonstrated that wind turbines and koalas don’t combine well, they are either clubbed to death when found in a felled tree or their breeding calls are compromised by turbine noise.

Extensive land clearing and the installation of 70 wind turbines, 250 metres high, will contribute to species extinction, particularly when considering the cumulative impact of thousands of hectares of land clearing in the whole Central West Orana region for transmission, wind, solar, batteries, substations and construction of small towns (aka accommodation camps). All this development is taking place in timbered, native and agricultural land.

This project will produce profits for ARK Energy and permanent environmental damage.

The project location is unsuitable given the amount of land clearing that will be required and the distance from the end user who resides in the metropolitan areas on the East Coast. The irony is that many of the residences heavily impacted by this monstrous project live off grid. Yet Ark Energy believe the local community should have their homes wrecked for the benefit of Ark Energy.

If community engagement means intimidating residents and treating them with disdain then Ark Energy excel. There is no social licence for this project and there has been no genuine attempt by Ark to achieve social licence.

If the project was really designed to reduce environmental impacts then it would not be constructed at all. There is no mitigation that can hide 250 metre turbines towering on ridges. Construction noise and operational noise will impact the native wildlife, particularly during their breeding seasons. The result will be that native wildlife (that survive the land clearing) will discover that the wind turbine environment is hostile. Carcase counts don’t sound like mitigation.

Biodiversity offsets mean that foreign companies buy up land and lock it up, the result is more weeds, more exotic pests and less land to produce food. We have seen mining biodiversity offset land utilised by Energy Co for transmission lines so biodiversity offsets do not make safe havens for native flora and fauna. The land simply gets cleared of vegetation for the next project.

This project is not in the public interest. This project is only in Ark Energy’s interest as it will sell the project prior to operation and the new owners will discover there are many “errors” to sort.

The land hosts will discover that at the end of the day the rehabilitation of the land falls to the owner of the land. By that time the destruction of the environment is irreversible.

For those whom might reckon that an alternative could be Nuclear generation, just study the Hinkley Point C development in the U.K. where 'best practice' development is going to cost every electricity meter in the nation $180 AUD in yearly subsidy for the life of the project, include in that the demand of cooling water at 120,000 litres per second and it is clear these so called solutions have no place in modern Australia.

"Go wind go now, strike whilst the iron is hot" for our future.

Projects such as Burrendong Wind Farm are the new tier of progress for rural Australia and should be welcomed by all.

For many years land owners' in the ag' sector have been dominated by weather and financial constraints that inhibit viability and have a gross effect on the landscape as production is pushed to unreasonable land utilisation due to climate variables or financial pressure for example.

The new economy that will emerge from projects such as the Burrendong Wind Farm are essential to provide rural Australia a weather independent resilient future and progress to farmers becoming proud exporters' of food, fibre and energy to the demand in urban Australia.

As a multi generation grazier I would readily accept the opportunity to participate in a project like the Burrendong Wind Farm as it creates a futuristic outcome that reduces emissions' and generates much needed electricity without any pollution, who wouldn't think that that was a "WIN WIN situation" for our children to live in as legacy of inclusive decision making by the current generation.

We all must move forward in unison to have a habitable planet and in the many years I have watched the land I love I know it is not coping as climate change ebbs away its capacity and the solution to spare our wonderous biodiverse Planet is to embrace Renewable Energy in each and every form whether it is Wind Farms, Hydro, Solar, Tranmission and Battery for our children, my children and our future.

Please join with me to welcome and support the "renewable energy revolution" which is coming and if we do it correctly just like The Burrendong Wind Farm project has been presented then, this transition has to ability to modify life on Earth, MUCH for the better.

Time to say good bye to fossil fuels and embrace a sustainable future with energy derived from Nature which will build a 'new economy in Rural Australia' and who wouldn't want that?

I am opposed to this project as the value of the landscape will be ruined - these are lifestyle properties not farming properties. The purpose for living will be ruined & the many of the visitors that come to stay will be destroyed. This will in turn create a decrease for the town of Mudgee.

Today, I would like to object here is why, wind farms. While they are often praised for their contribution to cleaner energy production, I would like to draw your attention to the drawbacks and highlight why wind farms may not be as beneficial to the environment as they are claimed to be.
Firstly, one of the key arguments in favor of wind farms is their capacity to reduce carbon emissions. Yes, wind turbines do generate electricity without directly emitting harmful greenhouse gases. However, the construction of wind farms requires extensive mining operations, manufacturing processes, and transportation, all of which contribute significantly to carbon emissions. The production and transportation of turbine components, such as steel and concrete, entail high levels of energy consumption and result in additional carbon emissions.
Secondly, wind farms have a significant impact on the natural habitats and wildlife population. Turbines often obstruct the flight paths of birds and bats, leading to a higher risk of collisions and fatalities. These flying creatures play crucial roles in ecosystems and serve as indicators of environmental balance. Moreover, the construction of wind farms necessitates clearing land, which can disrupt the habitats of various species, including ground-dwelling animals and plant life.
Furthermore, the visual impact of wind farms on the landscape cannot be ignored. Often located in scenic areas, these towering turbines dominate the horizon, potentially detracting from the natural beauty of the surroundings. This can have detrimental effects on tourism, which serves as a vital economic driver for many areas.
Additionally, wind farms create noise pollution. The constant spinning of the blades produces a low-frequency noise that can impact nearby residential areas. This disturbance can disrupt the daily lives of people living in close proximity, affecting their well-being and quality of life.
Lastly, wind farms rely heavily on rare earth metals for their construction. The extraction of these metals results in significant environmental degradation and poses health risks to nearby communities. The toxic chemicals used in the extraction process, such as sulfuric acid, can leach into the soil and water sources, contaminating ecosystems and endangering human health.
In conclusion, while wind farms are often celebrated for their potential to generate clean energy, it is important to recognize the negative aspects associated with their construction and operation. The carbon emissions produced during manufacturing, transportation, and land clearance, the impact on wildlife and habitats, the visual disruption, and the noise pollution should all be considered when evaluating the true environmental impact of wind farms.
It is my firm belief that a more comprehensive and balanced approach to energy production and conservation should be pursued, one that takes into account not only the perceived benefits but also the potential harm caused to the environment. We owe it to ourselves and future generations to carefully consider the implications of our actions and ensure that we make informed decisions that truly support a sustainable and healthy world.

I object to everything about these so-called “renewable” energy “farms”. There is nothing renewable about them. They are purely about the destruction of our homes and way of life.

I have scanned the EIS and I am unable to find how the proposer plans to deal with turbine blades that are replaced during operation and following decommissioning.
These blades have the potential to contaminate the surrounding soil and waterways. Some of the contaminates are carcinogenic. Also, does the proposer have a plan to recycle the blade material or are that relying on filing the local councils' tips? Is there an OHS directive in place to protect workers handling the blades and blade materials, especially if they are cutting the blades for removal or transport?

Thank you for the opportunity to comment and hopefully you will act on these matters raised.

I strongly object to the Burrendong Wind Farm because
My husbands property Merrendee station will be significantly impacted by this wind farm

We use this property not only as a working farm but as a place to come together as a family and enjoy the peace and serenity

Expansive views from all over my property will be ruined. In addition the peace, the natural landscape, the serenity, fresh air, no industry, beautiful unobstructed views to the World’s End Ridgeline.

I share with you the important topic – the impact of wind farms on the environment. While wind farms are often touted as environmentally friendly sources of energy, it is essential to critically examine their potential drawbacks and the adverse effects they can have on our environment.

Firstly, let us consider the negative impact on wildlife. Wind turbines, towering structures that span across landscapes, pose significant threats to avian species. Birds, particularly those with large wingspans, such as eagles and vultures, are at high risk of colliding with the spinning blades. These collisions can lead to severe injuries, habitat disruption, and even death. Moreover, migratory patterns may be disrupted as birds tend to avoid areas near these structures, impacting their overall populations.

Furthermore, wind farms can pose a threat to bats. These nocturnal creatures rely on echolocation for navigation and finding prey, and wind turbines can interfere with their sensitive auditory capabilities. The sudden pressure changes near the blades can cause barotrauma, leading to fatal injuries for bats that come into close proximity with wind farms. The loss of bat populations can have a detrimental effect on ecosystems as they are natural pest controllers, helping to reduce insect populations.

Another key concern is the visual impact of wind farms on the surrounding landscapes. These vast installations can alter the natural beauty of scenic areas and disrupt the visual harmony of our environment. Some argue that the construction of wind farms can degrade natural habitats, destroy the aesthetic appeal of tourist areas, and even impact property values in nearby communities.

Additionally, while wind farms aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, their production and maintenance carry an environmental cost. The construction of wind turbines requires extensive mining and manufacturing processes, generating carbon emissions and requiring large amounts of resources. Moreover, the lifespan of wind turbines is limited, often lasting around 20 to 25 years, leading to significant waste in the form of outdated or broken equipment. The disposal of these decommissioned turbines can be challenging, raising concerns of proper recycling and potential environmental pollution.

In conclusion, while wind farms promote renewable energy and form part of our transition towards a greener future, it is important to acknowledge their potential negative impacts on wildlife, landscapes, and the environment as a whole. We must find a balance between our energy needs and responsible environmental stewardship, ensuring we thoroughly assess the long-term consequences of wind farm installations.

I wish to submit my objection to the proposed Burrendong Wind Farm.

I, along with my family, have been travelling to the Yarrabin area and in particular the land to the east of the World's End Ridgeline for over 20 years. Prior to that I spent my childhood travelling to the surrounding area with my parents.
This area is special because it remains untouched by large scale development and the vista is available for all, even if you are just driving through and looking, with wonder, at the surrounding landscape.
Introducing turbines of the size and scale proposed is oppressive to all, particularly those that will be forced to view them 24/7.
The fact that they are so large to require night lighting, for safety concerns, illustrates they will be a mammoth blight on the ridgeline.

I hope that this project will be reconsidered and a wondrous sunset and view may still be enjoyed by generations to come; without wind turbines!

Re: Burrendong Wind farms
1. The EIS has not made any reference to the use of the dam by RFS contractors that use aircraft in fire fighting
The dam is use to pick up water by these aircraft and the addition of 100s of turbines of 200 m height in smokey
conditions will be an accident waiting to happen,
2. Agriculture over the last 100 years has use aircraft for a number of purposes. Aerial fertiliser, spraying locusts,
application of improved pasture seed. For a large areas around this dam and all to way to the Mudgee valley the terrain will not allow the normal use of farm vehicles in a safe manner and these turbines will force farmers to attempt to do these task from vehicles as aerial operator refuse to fly with so many aerial obstacles. I can see an increase in farm accident, something that is already one of the highest accident rates of any industry.

I feel there has not been enough research done on these wind farms to provide power to the growing population and consumers requirements to the amount of power they produce,
Also there is no plans on how to get rit of these products. When there life span is up.

As a landholder in the Central West I feel the way I have found out about the Burrendong wind farm has been by chance and I believe that Eupuron/Ark Energy has been disingenuous in their community consultation. I feel left in the dark and having to find my own information. 6 + months waiting for a reply email is not adequate enough.

My family and friends, neighbours and other land holders are of the same view and we all strongly oppose the burrendong wind farm. The impact on my young family and our way of life is going to be devastating. This wind farm cannot be approved without first making agreements with Land holders along the Twelve Mile and Yarrabin Road. All they have mentioned in the EIS is aquistations from landholders- without consultation??

This wind farm if approved will be there for the rest of my life, my children won’t even remember the peaceful beautiful generational farm we once had. They are the 5th generation in our family to be on this farm and I can see the wind farms that are being proposed in our area as the reason our farm ceases the breeding and care of cattle, sheep, goats, horses, poultry among many other animals we have. We will be able to see and hear the uungala, piambong and burrendong wind farms.

We currently see 1-5 cars travel along our road per day and rarely any of a night, during construction there will be 200+ cars not including the heavy machinery bringing the turbine blades in, the vehicles and machinery to upgrade the road, and cement trucks. Ark energy has taken their daily vehicle tally from a different point on Yarrabin road and have not given a true report in the EIS.
This is absolutely going to have a severe impact directly on the environment around my community. 2 of our family homes (1 has been there more than 80 years) are within 50m to the Yarrabin Road, they will be unliveable during construction of both the road upgrade and wind farm construction due to the noise and dust levels without mentioning the undue stress on both our family and animals from the amount of people and vehicles in our normally quite and peaceful community. They have stated we currently have 2 vehicles at night time which is completely untrue where my houses are and that they don’t see noise levels being a problem. How can they justify that? Any heavy vehicle let alone a OSOM monster truck going past at any time of day will impact both my family and our livestock.

We currently rely on the road for all stock our movements and day to day farm activities. Our properties are not fenced off from the road and will not be able to as the road will cut our property off from the cudgegong river which is vital not only for our stock but also for native animals that seek shade and shelter in the hills and water at the river. The majority of our land is on one side of the road with essential shearing sheds, sheep yards and cattle yards on the other, this will make it impossible to adequately care for our live stock, which is our main family income. There is no mention on how our grazing farms are able to continue?
Ark energy must engage with landholders and obtain consent, how can the EIS be approved if there is no access to the proposed site as the council road they are wanting to use often isn’t even on the designated crown road- there are even sections where the crown road doesn’t exist!

Ark energy have not done adequate native flora and fauna studies in their biodiversity assessment, there are many many rare and threatened species here. It is also a direct flight path for the Regent Honey Eater Bird and home to many different species of grass wrens, blue and red backed fairy wrens all the way up to wedged tail eagles. There are platypus and 100+ year old mussels, endangered catfish in the river that only survive because of how clean our area is, different rock wallaby species, lots of owls, major Mitchell cockatoos, native peas, a lot of different species of bats. They have mentioned there is no roosting within the proposed wind farm yet no mention of the impact of bats and birds flying at night and being killed. The biodiversity in our area will never be the same once this windfarm is approved, the disturbance to a quiet, clean, healthy ecosystem will be devastating.

Please consider my concerns with Ark Energy -Andrew Wilson he has lied to both my family and neighbours when he worked for Eupuron and Ark Energy (the same company). I believe they will also sell this windfarm to an offshore buyer and any agreements we have come to with Andrew will be void. Our concerns with the major road upgrade need to be included in their EIS.

I reserve the right to add more submissions to the burrendong wind farm.

Wind projects are simply not going to solve any issues of replacing proven, 24/7 reliable, cheap and environmentally friendly conventional power. They are unreliable, expensive (very expensive if you include the costs of transmission and backing up by conventional power), environmentally destructive and intrusive on landholders properties and remnant bush and iconic animals.


What you are doing is not 'saving the planet' you are, in effect 'destroying the planet'.

I fully reject the proposal for the Burrendong Wind farm and it’s effects on all the surrounding properties.

As a city dweller, I highly value being able to get out into more remote and unharmed areas of our state, particularly Mudgee and more specifically Yarrabin. I was devastated when I first heard the news of the development of the wind farm and the progress of which can’t be more appalling to the local people and environment.

We have visited the property at 167 Rockford Lane, Yarrabin several times since I was young and now I enjoy taking my children there too. We really love it there precicely because it provides the remote serenity and peaceful surrounds that you don’t find in many other places. The community surrounding is also valued as they reflect the impact of living in such a beautiful place being connected to land and wildlife.

The view of the World’s End Ridgeline provides a sheltered barrier of nature as a key aspect of the property. The changing of light as the sun hits this ridgeline over the different seasons gives the property so much character and should be left fully untouched to provide such an expansive and special view free from human impact. Occasionally we have also camped at Eagle’s Nest at the high point of the property which magnifies this awesomeness even more.

We have sighted many forms of wildlife in the area which are unique such as wedge tailed eagles, glossy red tailed black cockatoos, Koalas and Micorbats. It is highly concerning how much this development will destroy their natural environment too.

As a health care worker I am also highly concerned over the impact these turbines have on all human, animal and plant health. Most concerning the noise of them both audible and infrasound which will be constantly emitting through the property. In addition the EMF and other electrical impact such as lighting and the high possibility of catching fire would leave a devastating impact on the residents and visitors to the property.

I hope you can take seriously the irreversible impact this wind farm will have on the surrounds of the Burrendong area and consider wholly rejecting the application. It is not a “progressive” development and the idea that it will provide a sustainable source of renewable energy is totally false based on the failures of similar developments around the world. Please do all that is necessary to stop this development going ahead.

Seeking more information in regard to construction schedule and whether a public hearing to review can be arranged