Culcairn Solar Farm

To start it is extremely distressing to see how many families and friends have irreparably shattered and lives altered for eternity.
So let's not do the same to some of the most productive and beautiful land in NSW.
The last few year have been climatically challenging for many of us,our neighbouring shires and further afield farmers and their communities. To which i address the value of primary production from the proposed areas for the large scale solar farms. We are very small farmers but for the last two years have produced thousands of bales of hay and straw to support our drought stricken and now fire ravaged fellow farmers as far away as Gatton, Coonabarabran , Bathurst , Gunnedah, grain has also followed, along with supporting local diary farmers and feedlots. All this this achieved in two challenging years but enabled because this area as a is productive.
The ironic factor is now northern Nsw and Queensland are looking to restock they head south for quality animals to rebuild herds.
To some who say this area is not productive enough may not have farmed in more marginal areas and may not have the ability to do justice to their holding.
As producers we are constantly being pushed further and further out due to the search by some for their small piece of paradise, we have city investors, supperanuation companies now massive solar farms we cannot compete financially with " the man with endless finance to disburse" but not the soul for the land.
Does not anyone think how ridiculous it is when other countries clamour for our produce and yet a few do not value how incredibly blessed we are to be able to caretake this invaluable rich area and contribute to the wealth and wellbeing of our fellow country men and women.
To encourage future generations to follow is becoming quite difficult as expansion of enterprise seems to be limited by numerous factors including those above.
The distraction visually of these monstrosities will have a profound impact of those living around the area and those passing through.
The very short term gain of employment and use of local facilities will not compensate for the loss of more valuable land.
What are the plans for disposal at end life or damaged components ,there are no cost effective recycling benefits.
What are the plans for reclamation of land if companies become insolvent and who enforces this efficiently .
I cannot quote figures; and as we all know figures can be adjusted to appease or excite alternating audiences depending who you want to influence.
If you have that feeling of being proud of producing in one of the most reliable areas of farming; if you want to point out to your kids fields of canola and explain how they make margarine; if you want your kids to have a generous understanding of the cycle of life; if you want to stand tall and tell people you help grow their food; tell these solar companies to scoot somewhere that the sun shines more efficiently.

This is a fantastic opportunity to really utilise the space in a way that is going to sustain the future. There are no disadvantages to this project and the land is still usable with the solar panels in place.

Today, Culcairn offers residents and potential investors alike the ready availability of industrial, lifestyle and residential land, a sound water supply and services, together with a community spirit and safe environment for children and families. Conveniently situated in the growth corridor between Albury Wodonga and Wagga Wagga, with easy access to the major Olympic and Hume Highways, and Main Southern Rail Line, Culcairn is primed for expansion.
The above paragraph is taken from the Greater Hume Council web site for Culcairn, and was one of the contributing factors in us purchasing the Culcairn Motor Inn nearly 10 years ago. Growth and expansion being key
In this time Albury and Wagga regions seems to have been expanding / growing exponentially, while very little has happened around here.
We are in support of Neoen’s Culcairn Solar Farm and battery storage facility and can see only positive benefits to our local community and the greater community through this massive $636.6Million investment in clean renewable energy.
The economic advantages to our community cannot be understated , we have had many individuals involved in the feasibility / planning stage of the solar farm, stay with us over the last year, already creating an economic benefit to Culcairn by spending money at our local shops i.e. accommodation, entertainment, fuel, food. It is reported if approval is granted, the construction phase will take approximately 16 - 18 months with a peak workforce of around 500 and then when completed, 5 to 10 full time staff and up to 6 service contractors will be required to maintain the facility.
It is also reported that Neoen will give $150 000 annually to Culcairn and Walla Walla in the form of a community benefit fund as well as a significant voluntary contribution to the Greater Hume Shire.
There are many possibilities to use this money. One idea would be for the shire to help fund and build the rail trail, Culcairn to Corowa (as talked about over the years) as our neighboring Federation Shire seems to have embraced. The economic, health and tourism potential for a project like this, can also not be understated, one only has to look at the Murray to mountains rail trail to see the positive impact this has had on regional Victoria. Consequently the old rail line runs close to one boundary to the proposed Culcairn solar farm, and as reported, there will be a tourist viewing platform somewhere in place as part of Neoen’s plan for the Solar Farm.
Another idea touted is for our derelict silos to be muraled, thus creating a visual splendor for our town and a tourism boom for the greater area, or even just go towards road maintenance.

I wish to add my support for this project as it appears that there has been thorough research into benefits and proven benefits to other communities. It also provides responsible use of one of this country's greatest assets - the sun, while still allowing for farming practices to continue. It is encouraging to see other financial benefits to the surrounding towns. In the short time we have been living here we have seen a new pride in our towns and the way they are presented. Any encouragement to local business is always welcome.

See attached document

I object to this solar plant for the following reasons
I support the Greater Hume Shire to object this development in this area.
This area of land is in the process of being mapped under the Riverina Murray Draft Important Agricultural Land Mapping so decisions shouldn’t be made till it comes out.
Loss of high quality agricultural land to industrial land in view of drought & fires in & around this area.
Loss of mature native trees & the impact on wildlife.
The impact to near neighbours with fire risk as well as dust & noise.
The close proximity to the Walla solar development & how this will affect the near neighbours caught in the middle & the added traffic to this area.
The heat island effect! This has not been truly tested here in Australia on this large scale will the near neighbours be affected?
Will the grid be able to cope? There have been so many reports come out lately saying developments have to wait to be connected or have there output reduced.
The impact to Aboriginal & Local heritage.

I support the Culcairn Solar Farm for a number of reasons. I can see that it will have a positive effect on creating jobs (direct and in-direct), and will give the surrounding towns an economic uplift to local services, including retailers and accommodation providers. There will also be a community benefit fund of $150000 annually, and possible discounted energy prices, which both will be a great benefit to our local towns. I feel this is an exciting new step forward for our local communities in seeing new growth in jobs and economy which will be a very positive for our towns, and also leading the way in energy production and security.

Site Selection
• We are not opposed to renewable energy - but the placement of it
• Government planning to further assess already identified renewable energy zones is required
• Not all land is equal in terms of reliable agricultural production
• Transmission lines on flat land should not be the driving factor for renewable energy projects
• Increased reliance on imported food brings its own significant issues such as market volatility and biosecurity concerns
Agriculture
• Loss of productive crop land in reliable farming area
• Crops in our area provide hay, grain and grazing
• Potential to produce up to 12,400 tonnes of hay per year
• Could feed excess of 22,000 cattle in a normal feeding regime
• Fodder can help support fire and drought-affected areas including nearby Upper Murray
• Farmers undertaking current agricultural practices provide effective management for the health of the land
• Neighbouring farmers worried about impacts to their business, livestock and cropping production as per research
• Flow on long term loss to agricultural-related businesses
• Short term jobs during construction at long term expense to agriculture.
• Sheep grazing claims cannot compare to local productivity with cropping capabilities
Fire
• Rural Fire Service (RFS) brigade members seriously concerned about increased fire threat to neighbours and nearby towns
• WHS issues such as electrocution, entrapment and toxic exposure will prevent RFS members from combating fires inside the facility
• Development land mapped as bushfire prone near Culcairn and Walla Walla towns
• In close proximity to heavily treed Billabong Creek, stock reserve, Walla Gum Swamp, Culcairn Gas Pumping Station, pipeline and Culcairn Tip
• Hairy Panic accumulation around the panel s and high-security fencing may also be a major fire management issue.
Environment
• The area is a haven for wildlife particularly in the riparian areas of waterways
• Habitat and displacement of wildlife on the site from hollow logs
• Waterways nearby the site have significant frog populations, migratory birds and many species of flora and fauna including some threatened and vulnerable species
• 99 Paddock trees to be removed.
Visual Impact
• Solar infrastructure is visually confronting
• The notion that solar panels have a low visual profile is rejected
• Amazing rural outlook turned to an industrial site.
• Small tube stock tree lines will take years to grow
• Vegetation screening inadequate
• Proposed landscape changes causing neighbours mental anguish
• Greater Hume is supposed to be the shire to “Live a Greater Life”.
Picture: Colleambally Solar Vs the currently pleasing agricultural outlook at Culcairn
Roads/Traffic
• Noise, dust and road pressures from 300 passenger vehicle movements and 100 heavy vehicle movements during peak construction
• Compound road pressures if Walla Walla and Culcairn projects go ahead
• 16 to 18 months disruption for construction at the proposed Culcairn site
• Financial and safety risks to roads

I strongly oppose the Culcairn Solar Farm Development.
What I strongly disagree with most, is the location of this proposed development. Australia has so much low productive agricultural land with minimal and/or unreliable rainfall that would be better suited and far less intrusive to have a solar development placed on.
I am not against renewable energy sources as we are totally off the grid and rely solely on solar power. Our solar system is placed on the roof of an existing dwelling, therefore taking up no usable agricultural land.
With our climate changing, it has been proven that production in our grain growing areas is falling. Therefore, it is even more important to protect our reliable productive agricultural farmland. The proposed site has the potential to produce up to 12000 tonnes of hay per year. As we have experienced over the last couple of years, a huge proportion of NSW has been drought declared and unable to sustain livestock production or produce grain crops. At approximately half of our normal rainfall, our region (where the proposed solar industrial site is) has still been able to produce fodder and grain to assist many drought stricken farmers.
The Australian Government needs to plan for the long term and look after Australian agriculture as it feeds the world and put the Industrial Solar Farms in low productive agriculture land. We really have only one chance to get this right.

I think this is a project to benefit our environment, providing a sustainable future - whilst also allowing diversification from typical farming practices. Solar is the way of the future and should continue being embraced.

I am not against the use of reusable energy however placing such a large project on prime agricultural land is a huge misuse of the space. Land which can continually produce crop despite the conditions whether it be drought or flood is becoming increasingly more difficult to find. There are many other places in Australia which do not have the capacity to grow crops but would be excellent for this type of project and this is why the Culcairn Solar Farm should NOT go ahead.

To my knowledge this project is built on prime agricultural land and will impact land values being downgraded in the surrounding area.
It will have an ugly visual impact on neighbors and surroundings.
The construction of these projects will no doubt cause angst and upheaval in the local community and will be no avail when we hear electricity prices will be no less expensive.
These companies coming from overseas have no idea how our local farming communities operate.
The risk of fire is very much increased with such installations.
A significant amount of large gum trees will be removed for this project which also destroy many native animals habitat.

Good farming land will be taken up for this project that is still profitable when NSW is in drought. I live in the area and it is good farming land that can produce good crops livestock to help feed the population. With the drought areas like this in NSW are few and far between.
I am worried it will make a micro climate effect and make it hotter. I really do not think the roads in the area are not up to scratch with all the traffic this project will bring. This will cause a drop in the land value of neighbouring properties and land like this would normally be sought after. This will mean beautiful farming land will be turned into an industrial zone that will not be as pleasing to the eye. I am also concerned about the amount of trees that will have to be removed and destroying many native animals habitats.
To run a good farm you need to put money into lots of local services, stock agents, agronomists, farm machinery and vehicle servicing etc these will lose out. The money from these projects will go back overseas, and not back into our local community. Why have it in our area if it is not going to make our electricity prices go down?
I am not against renewable energy like solar, but I just believe this is not the place for it.

I am not against Solar but I am objecting to the location of the proposed Solar Farm in Culcairn.
I object for the following main reasons
1. The area of the proposed Solar is Prime Agriculture land that in a drought has been able to produce food and fodder.
2. I believe in renewable energy but strongly believe their are more suitable locations not on productive land, better suited on the roof top of every building structure.
3. Requested evidence to show people as farmers that this will not damage the land or that of the surrounding properties.
4. This area has extreme hot and cold weather, it has high fog through the colder seasons
5. High fire risk to the area, if birds pick at the wire, best case it shorts is out, worst case it starts a fire.
6. Irreversible damage to the fauna and flora in the area with removal of natural eco systems in such a large area
7. Visual impact to some surrounding neighbours that have spent their life building their dream property to now have to potentially oversee endless solar panels
8. The area is mapped or highlighted as an energy zone
9. Irreversible damage to long term friends and neighbours, social impact and mental/emotional strain placed on those that surround the property
10. In a time of servere drought this region and this land produced crops and large amounts of hay, being able to support, donate other farmers affected by drought and the recent fires.
11. These are industrial projects not farming projects and no one has been able to demonstrate that they are compatible to farming in this region and the conditions we produce under and until this can be demonstrated Industrial projects like these should be placed in areas where it will not have such a financial, social and production impact on the broader community.
12.The close proximity to homes and residence will possibly reduced value on these homes. This is not about statistics but a simple question to yourself would a majority of the population buy a house next door to an industrial plant??? I don't believe it can be proven either way but I believe it would deter people from looking in the first place potentially reducing buyers.
13. Lack of evidence of long term benefit to the community, the loss of income and on flowing affects to suppliers, traders to the natural order of farming over the life of the contract out ways the marketed short term benefit, no point of a community fund when they community has lost a large portion of its general income because the agricultural supply train has diminished.
14. Recycling waste plan at the end of the project, who will guarantee the land will be returned to its former condition.

• Development land mapped as bushfire prone near Culcairn and Walla Walla towns
• In close proximity to heavily treed Billabong Creek, stock reserve, Walla Gum Swamp, Culcairn Gas Pumping Station, pipeline and Culcairn Tip
• Hairy Panic accumulation around the panel s and high-security fencing may also be a major fire management issue.
Environment
• The area is a haven for wildlife particularly in the riparian areas of waterways
• Habitat and displacement of wildlife on the site from hollow logs

Farming land in this area is highly productive. The farming land in question has provided fodder to drought affected regions of Australia and most recently to fire affected regions in NSW and Victoria.
Productive cropping land should be left for that purpose (food for Australian families and food for livestock) and not be turned in to an industrial zone with solar panels..... you cannot eat solar!!!!

What was the outcome of Neoen's involvement in the blackout in South Australia in 2016?? In 2019, the Australian Energy Regulator initiated proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia against the operators of four wind farms (including Neoen). It alleged that these companies (including Neoen) had failed to comply with performance requirements to ride through major disruptions and disturbances; and they breached National Electricity rules (as per news report on the The Advertiser).

Wildlife should not be displaced from their hollow logs either.

Sheep grazing underneath the solar panels is a joke; given that one of the farmers who is giving up a significant amount of their land for this development stopped sheep farming due to weed management issues on their property. This resulted in them only focusing on cropping to be able to better manage their weeds (as per Holbrook Landcare Case Study).

Large solar developments should not be placed on highly productive cropping land that has a consistently high rainfall. Even in drought this area in question can still reliably produce much needed food and fibre for Australian families.

This is my 3rd objection to this area, In all of these objections it is driven by the land the company is proposing to use. Land that has produced high yields of either crop or hay, support that has been fed to those still stricken by drought and now those that have lost everything in the fires.
I am a farmer facing the same situation as the neighbors of the Culcairn Solar farm and the emotional stress of their future and everything that they have worked for is something that is not of major concern to the big companies here to make money on prime agricultural land that should be used for what it is .
I object to the project for a number of reasons as listed below.
1. This solar project has a large number of affected neighbours, mostly families that have invested large sums of money to have their own piece of paradise, only to now be faced with living beside an industrial zone and being subjected to undesirable side affects such as heat island effect, glare and noise and air pollution, particularly during construction periods. I'm sure that those that pay multimillion amounts to have Sydney Harbour views would be just as upset if an industrial site was set up in their line of sight. Our country side is our Sydney Harbour, we work hard and pay good money to live with our vista.
2. The proposed site will take a large amount of highly productive land out of production, at least reducing its capacity by 80%. I have been part of the Burrumbuttock Hay Runners, delivering hay to communities in desperate need of fodder to survive. In the 5 years or so I have been involved a massive amount of fodder has come out of the Greater Hume Shire, an area recently recorded as continually producing the highest quality fodder on the east coast of Australia, this is a result of our productive dryland (non irrigated) country, highlighted this year as the entire state battles crippling drought, we were still able to be productive, again producing fodder for the rest of the state to survive.
3. As a member of the close knit communities commonly found in the small country towns, I have already noticed a fracture of friendships in these communities, number one issue, solar developments. One time friends now on opposite sides of the solar debate, local community groups suffering in numbers because "I'm not playing in the same team as Mr X" or "I'm not buying from that business because Mr X works there". Its not too late to stop our communities collapsing completely and there is still a chance to mend the fractured relationships by stopping the solar development.
In conclusion I believe these developments are better suited in areas that a 2000 acre development can be hidden, 5 to 10 kms from the nearest affected resident, such as the Hay plains. The government should have the foresight to force these foreign companies to develop our country by building high voltage transmission lines to these areas rather than rape and pillage our productive land, communities and lifestyle just because the aging infrastructure is available for them to make a massive amount of money for the least amount of outlay.

I have connections with the Culcairn area and believe the Culcairn Solar farm should not be in this location.
The large footprint required for solar is not suitable for agricultural land and there are far too many potential risks.
Solar panels are more appropriately located on the rooves of houses or in the desert.

As a resident of the Greater Hume Shire I am writing to object to the proposed Culcairn Solar Farm SSD-10288.

While I am not opposed to solar or renewable energy, I am concerned that not enough independent research has been done on solar complexes of this size and nature in the Australian Climate in such close proximity to homes, families, livestock and food production. I am concerned that not enough thought has gone into the full lifecycle of these types of projects. In 25 years when the panels have reached the end of their life where are they to be recycled? And if the foreign companies cannot get government incentives to renew the panels where will we get our power from?

My husband and I live and farm within the Greater Hume Shire and we know the productivity of our land and that of many farmers within the region. At a time when most of NSW is drought declared (including our area) we have produced food, fibre and fodder off our natural rainfall (which has been significantly reduced this year). Grain and Fodder that has been produced in our area will be used to support farmers in areas that have been harder hit by drought and or fires. We know how blessed we are to be farming here and it’s clear that the reason this region has weathered everything that mother nature has thrown at it is due to the capacity and capability of our land.

The question must be asked, why are we using viable productive agricultural land for something that can be placed on roof tops, over dams and lakes, over irrigation channels and in arid non-productive areas? I feel that that is something that should not be ignored for the sake of a climate target and/or foreign profit. Especially considering our country is still mining coal and selling it to countries that are making no effort to achieve the same targets or in many cases any targets

The money we and many farmers in our region make off our land goes back into our local community. If this project goes ahead the financial impact will be felt by stock agents, grain traders, machinery dealers, rural suppliers, car dealers, Ag and Vet Services and local businesses. The money the Solar Company makes will predominantly go offshore. The solar company suggest that there will be financial benefits to our community if this goes ahead. I disagree and feel that there “may” be short term financial benefits, but they will not extend beyond the construction period and as such in the long term will cost the community more than they are worth. At the recent council meeting they had a number people speak to the employment opportunities they have gained through a number of projects by Neoen. What this highlighted to me was that while the Concreter that spoke was a “local to Culcairn” he in fact was not local to any of the towns he had previously worked with Neoen. I think you would be hard pressed to find a local town/region without a few concreting businesses that could have been engaged if Neoen weren’t traveling site to site with a trained and ready workforce for a set period then moved to the next project. They also had a representative from Watters come along and talk about the figure I believe was approximately 20 apprenticeships they had created as a result of their work with Neoen. Again again raising questions about their local workforce as you cannot complete an apprenticeship in under 18 months so either the apprentices are dropped at the end of the local contract or they must follow the work to maintain their jobs and complete their qualifications.

Neoen spoke of how this project could bring businesses to the community an example they gave was that a community they were located near now has a coffee shop. Which is great for a town that didn't have much. They suggested that Culcairn would benefit similarly and might end up with someone seeing the potential and setting up a great coffee shop or similar. Which was perplexing as Culcairn has a Coffee Shop, Bakery and Cafe that all do quite well and provide a great service to the community. Holbrook has multiple coffee shops/cafes and a bakery (again they do well) and Walla has a Cafe/Coffee Shop that provides a great service and is doing well. Our communities are not struggling because we lack transient workers they would however struggle if they over invested in upgrades to meet needs of an unsustainable workforce.

I feel that this type of facility within the shire will detract from the rural aspect and as such will put downward pressure of land values and home values particularly those with views of this project. I see this as a negative when land values and housing prices have steadily risen over the last few years despite falling property and housing markets in other regions. The nearest residence is 120 metres from the facility and due to its elevation, the residents will see nothing else. For a family that has worked hard to build a dream only to have its value shattered in an instant due to the greed of the people they once counted as friends is devastating. To date it appears that Neoen have not put in place any measurable/realistic effort to compensate or mitigate the damage done to this family or the other neighbouring properties.

The Greater Hume Shire is being targeted by 4 companies at this time. It has pitted resident against resident. Friendships that are decades old have been torn apart. Businesses have been boycotted. And for what? The landholder who has leased their land and the solar company will do well out of this, but the losses will be felt by many.

Given that there has been a large number of these types of power plants approved over the past few years throughout Australia. I would suggest that now is the time to stop placing them willynilly and start investing in the necessary infrastructure to get them out of rural residential area’s and away from productive land.

Thank you for your time.

Prime agricultural land should be retained for farming. Solar should be on the rooves of houses or in the desert.
This solar farm will damage the surrounding environment and this location is not appropriate for such a massive footprint.
This development will bring too many risks to the area of Culcairn and the rural landscape will be destroyed.