Cobbora Solar Farm

More solar less coal will help tackle climate change which is already affecting Australia and its pacific neighbours negatively and will only get worse.

I object to any 'renewables' that are on prime agricultural farming land. This area provides food and fibre for our whole nation. Most of the power generated will be going to a select few areas on the coast. Money is going to non-Australian enterprises. This is an area of mostly family run farming enterprises not impersonal multi-national and foreign owned corporations. It is incredible, and extremely sad, to already witness the destruction of many old gum trees, areas flattened and waterways being affected in other locations within the Central West REZ. The costs blow outs already are staggering and it is us, the Australian taxpayers, paying.
If you have to put it anywhere, put it near where it is going to be consumed- on the coast....not on our food bowl.

Why waste valuable farming land that should be used for food production and long term food supply sustainability. Other countries have opted to use different locations for solar production. Consider using areas: between roads, railway lines, supermarket carparks. Don't continue to waste our natural resources and fill landfill sites with non recyclable products.

Wellington Valley Wiradjuri Aboriginal Corporation (WVWAC) Elders, Knowledge Holder and Members Object to this project. The Project lapsed and was readvertised where multiple new Registered Aboriginal Parties were added compared to the core groups from the initial assessments for the project. WVWAC strongly insisted if new groups added the project required resurvey, this was dismissed by the Archaeologists and the Proponent who are relying on the original survey work and reports. How can new the project be properly assessed by those involved if they have not walked the landscape and just read it from a report.

ALL RAP's should be engaged as a single group to conduct a new field assessment all together (not split up or rostered on in different days) to ensure all are present and informed and a new Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Report is submitted prior to any approval being granted, not rely on a report from the first iteration of the project as the property owners in the project area have ploughed, planted multiple crops and run sheep and cattle over sites that were located and there has been significant rainfall since the 2022 survey, all of which may have impacted sites previously identified and or exposed new sites where significant density of cultural materials may have been uncovered.

WVWAC have significant concerns around the Intergenerational Cumulative Loss to our Aboriginal Heritage through numerous renewable projects and the Central West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (CWO REZ). This project location has numerous significant sites and was part of the proposed Cobbora Coal Mine that was not approved for numerous reasons.

The project is located on good arable land which is also very well suited to grazing. This project would go against the Paris Climate Agreement where good farming and grazing lands cannon be used for projects such as this. A lot of the project will be seen from the highway and other minor roads in the area and this project will significantly interfere with the Cultural Songlines that flow through it and around it.

Again we seek that this project NOT be granted approval for the brief reasons given above.

To whom it may concern
I am writing to you on the hope that you can stop the trainwreck that is coming in the form of renewables.
They are not renewable they are intermittent energy.
Great agricultural land is being destroyed by solar panels, and the land will not be recoverable when the Solar panels cease to operate in less than 25 years. The solar panels cannot be properly recycled, no matter what you hear.
The wind turbines are destroying our environment and killing our birdlife, and they cannot be recycled. It will be a environmental disaster in less than 25 years.
What make this all worse is that electricity will be unaffordable. I have been monitoring the AEMO Fuel mix site which details the source of energy. Coal and Gas still supply between 60% and 80% of electricity in times of demand. Solar does not work from 5.30 pm to 6.30 am and wind is unknown. There will never be affordable storage to cover the fluctuations on wind and solar.
When you add back the cost of the transmission grid to move intermittent electricity across the size of the eastern seaboard to meet the requirements of 27 million people, the rich already with subsidised solar and batteries there is absolutely no way electricity will be affordable for Australians. Electricity prices are already unaffordable, and they will be skyrocketing. Small business in being decimated.
This is common sense, and you need to stop this ridiculous project from progressing. We need no more Solar power because we already have excess Solar power at the wrong times of the day. Please also understand that batteries are expensive, have limited storage and are toxic with a limited life. There are millions, maybe billions of dollars of taxpayer money being wasted on what will be the biggest scam in Australia’s history. There is already and enquiry underway where the Chairman recommends a hold on renewables. Our farmers are being lied to be the Contractors and great NSW farmland will be left decimated.
Your sincerely

Michael French

I object to this project as this land is rural land not industrial land. The run off in heavy rain will cause more flooding a long Sandy Creek then in to the Talbragar River. Transport of infrastructure and workers a long the all ready over loaded Golden Highway will cause accidents. Dunedoo area has all ready lost our tradies and farm workers to the CWO REZ because they pay higher wages.
I THINK IT IS TIME RENEWABLE ENERGY BE GENERATED WHERE IT IS NEEDED !! A lot of rural farms/ houses are going off grid so no point generating power here , we have been off grid for over two years, best thing we have done. So in my life time we are back to generating power again

We need more power stations not solar farms.

I strongly object to this project.
Agricultural land should not be used for renewable energy projects. Agricultural land should be used for the production of food and fibre.
The cumulative impacts of all of the renewable energy projects in the CWO REZ have been vastly underestimated. This particular area of the CWO REZ is going to the heavily affected if all the planned projects proceed.