Hills of Gold Wind Farm

This is such a well designed and updated wind farm project, following extensive community consultation and a re-casting of the public exhibition following feedback on the original proposal. With our State's GHG reduction targets now set, we need more projects like this to ensure we can meet our commitment to reduced fossil fuel usage and greater renewable energy generation like this project offers.

This project should also provide the stability of jobs/employment and diversified industry that regional NSW needs. Who knows what other industries may emerge in the reigon in the wake of this project!

The Community Enhancement Fund is also quite generous and should go a long way to providing a stable revenue stream over the next 25+ years for the local community - thank you!

I do not believe wind farms offer true green energy, when the whole process of their manufacturing, environmental impact, and processing at the end of their lifespan is considered. I oppose the construction of wind farms in any and all locations.

I support the Hills of Gold Wind Farm. AEMO have highlighted the urgent need for renewables to be built in NSW. This is both to meet Australia's decarbonisation committments and to replace existing generators which are coming to the end of their lives. The build out of wind farms see hudreds of millions of dollars invested in regional NSW, creating hundreds of jobs. We need more wind farms to be built!

I think our community would benefit greatly from this windfarm and provide better working opportunities for my children once they become adults

I support the Hills of Gold Wind Farm because everyone in the community benefits in some way. Whether it is cheaper electricity, or a new opportunity for work for themselves in the community or for their family. Since writing my last submission there was around 40 children attending Nundle Public school but now next year we are down to 24 enrolments. I am the current treasurer of the Nundle Public School P&C Association, and I am concerned as I will be leaving this position next year as my son will be attending high school but as the school gets smaller so does the ability to be able to fill positions for the School P&C Ass.
I am also on the Nundle Sport & Recreation Club committee and know that the sponsorship from the wind farm will be able to maintain the building and help pay for the insurance to keep the club open.
I am also the president of the Nundle Twilight Christmas Markets and we have just had a very successful event which was sponsored by Engie which we were very grateful.
All of us need to adjust to renewable energy and I believe that this is the right place to build a wind farm.

I believe this project should go ahead. Nundle is a small town and will become smaller within a few years. This project should increase the population of Nundle and Nundle Public School. The Hills of Gold Wind farm would also be a place where school students can study more about renewables. When the Wind Farm starts operating, Engie (project devoloper) will make cheaper electricity for people that live in a close area. With Small Solar on peoples houses and the Wind farm in the Nundle area, Electricy will not be a problem.

All round the proposed “Hills of Gold Wind Farm” is an environmental disaster in the making. The proposed area of vegetation to be cleared is totally unacceptable and not environmentally sound. The loss of vegetation (particularly that of endangered and vulnerable species) to construct this wind farm compared to the projected benefit, fall far short of being environmentally sound. The whole project should be scrapped and built in another location where all the construction will occur on ridgelines which have historically been cleared for farming in the past. See attached document for additional comments

The Hills of Gold wind farm project represents the opportunity to significantly contribute to securing NSW's energy security. As I understand, AEMO is forecasting 60% of existing coal generation will be withdrawn from the energy market by 2030. We urgently need projects such as this in the near term to replace existing generation sources to ensure the continued supply of low-cost energy. More importantly, the development of renewable energy projects, such as this, should be widely supported as we work toward a decarbonised energy system. The current weather extremes experienced across the state should only give further weight to the importance of meeting our climate goals, and projects such as this play a significant role in achieving these. Additionally, the development of energy projects in regional areas brings considerable investment into communities, creating jobs and skills for the future economy. I wholeheartedly support the development of the Hills of Gold wind farm and hope the state government continues its support of these innovative energy initiatives.

I strongly support the project.
- NSW has promised to achieve a 50% reduction in greenhouse gasses. Without project like this, that is not achievable, and the current trajectory does not support this goal.
- At the moment, there is significant talk of replacing/decommissioning fossil fuel plants, with half baked plans to replace them, which will cause a staggering amount of replacement energy to be implemented by 2030, therefore projects like Hills of Gold are essential in the future of the Australian grid.
- This windfarm has significant contributions to the local community, with jobs, community funds and skills brought to the region, and will support the future of this town.
- the site this project is located on is a prime site for high capacity wind generation, with minimal impacts (compared to some) and the environmental rehabilitation committed to be undertaken will significantly offset any short and long term negative impacts on the area.

NSW and Australia need to urgently approve renewables projects to offset aging coal assets and keep the lights on. This is a good project. It's time to move forward.

Due to the current climate crisis, the Australian Government has committed to deep emission reductions through the deployment of renewable energy, replacing fossil fuel based generation. The NSW government has also committed to strong emission reduction targets and renewable energy zones, according to a set of favourable criteria. The Hills of Gold wind energy project is an excellent project positioned to take advantage of a sound wind resource, close to transmission connection on cleared agricultural land. This project will provide a range of social, economic and environmental benefits to the local and regional communities for the life of the project.

This development will significantly benefit the community’s of Nundle and Hanging Rock in terms of promoting local jobs and economic stimulus. It’s exactly what the bush needs to ensure we remain on the map. I wholeheartedly support the Hanging Rock Wind Farm development.

I support the Hills of Gold Windfarm. I believe the project will breathe new life into the local economy and provide an opportunity for jobs and tourism whilst assisting the state to achieve our renewable energy targets.

The development and delivery of renewable energy projects in Australia is urgently required, both to make small but meaningful contributions towards arresting climate change, but also to replace traditional fossil fuel generators which are inexorably leaving the energy market. The steady drumbeat of ever more dire climate news requires us to act with all haste to ensure projects like this one are delivered, even where a small but vocal minority of people are opposed on ideological or visual impact grounds. In addition if we don't start delivering projects like this one in the next 5 years then we may be facing a serious shortfall in generation capacity by 2030, and that will be no joke when people are faced with load shedding or blackouts. Wind energy projects in particular are necessary as a complement to the unstoppable rollout of rooftop solar to provide night-biased generation. I support this project wholeheartedly.

I oppose the development as it will ruin the town of Nundle, the landscape forever more. It detracts from the scenery and enjoyment of nature and future tourism of the town.

I fully support the Hills of Gold Wind Farm Development. The project will significantly benefit both the Nundle and Hanging Rock communities and will contribute to the achievement of Federal and State renewable energy goals.

I have read the voluminous material that Engie has submitted to support its wind farm project. However there is nothing in Engie's revised submission which would justify the NSW government approving this project. Despite Engie's attempts to "incentivise" the communities of Nundle, Crawney Rd, Hanging Rock and Timor to support the project , a significant majority of the affected comunities remain staunchly opposed to the project. Engie frequently confuses its engagement with the community with assent for the wind farm project.

I appreciate that there are many aspects of the project. In this submission I have chosen to focus on the visual
impact of this project and its potential to undermine the Nundle area as an eco- tourism destination.
If Engie is to be believed, the visual impact of 64 turbines, 230 metres in height on the ridge of the Great Dividing Range between Hanging Rock and Timor, plus transmission lines is low to moderate. This assessment os based on a "desktop" assessment and clearly not from direct observation.

I would contend that the visual impact would be massive and that it would be an act of environmental vandalism to permit their construction on that site. For visitors to Nundle, especially those approaching from
Sydney and Newcastle the first visual impression drivers on Lindsay's Gap Rd will have of the ridge will be ridge dominated by the wind turbines which are of a comparable height to the MLC Building in Sydney.

Most visitors to Nundle and surrounds are attracted to the area because of its natural beauty, authentic rural ambience, gold mining history, wildlife, and the spectacular scenery. The wind farm project will not contribute to any of these core destination attributes and in fact will significantly detract from them.
In common with most of my fellow residents in Nundle I oppose this project.

With all the trucks that will be involved with this industrial development there will be major disruption along the road to Nundle which will impact on the locals ability to get to work in Tamworth and will slow down dramatically the ability of emergency services to get to accidents or ill people anywhere along this road.
These trucks will also impact on an already bad road which has minimal places to overtake making it very dangerous for impatient drivers who don't want to be late. The impact of these trucks will badly damage these roads which council will be required to fix up which will put the rates up for everyone in the Tamworth council area.
Overseas there are countries going away from wind turbines as they are inefficient causing lots of pollution (the oil they need for lubrication and when they are finished -20-25 years- they are pulled down and put into landfill) Also the large cement slab they sit on is left for ever as a monument to the stupidity of the current population.
What money are they putting away for mental health treatment for the people living within site of these monoliths and extra law enforcement needed as these will cause problems between neighbors as it is doing now.
There will be mature aged trees removed and "replaced" somewhere else by scrub land locked up or the mass planting of trees that will take hundreds of years to grow.
Nundles businesses rely solely on tourism. Who is going to go there after the beautiful natural view is ruined. We do regular day trips to Nundle for lunch as do lots of people from Tamworth. Everyone is talking about how this is going to be ruined.

I fully support the Hills of Gold Wind Farm project for the following reasons.
*Fossil fuel generation is going to be phased out within the next 10-15 years & the Hills of Gold project will be a good start to replacing that generating capacity.
*This development will do no harm to the environment.
*The project will put the Nundle area on the map. More tourism.
*It will have have a positive effect on the Nundle economy ,generating more employment & business activity in the area.
*The project will enhance the financial security of host land owners & this will have a trickle down effect Through the surrounding economy
* It will enhance the future of Nundle
Thank you for allowing to have my say, I strongly believe Renewable Generation is the way of the future of this Nation & The World.
Warwick Fletcher

I do not agree with the new proposed transport route.
OVERMASS large vehicles in the quaint historic village of Nundle can only result in destruction of beautiful character trees and traffic chaos .More noise and pollution will be added to the existing endless logging trucks that trundle through the village.Dangerous vehicles destroying the roads and destroying the very essence of the character of Nundle.
This massive upheaval to a small country village is totally unacceptable