Muswellbrook Solar Farm

Writing to object against the proposed Muswellbrook Solar Farm at Muscle Creek

attached

I object

I object to the proposed muscle creek solar farm I believe that the future for community growth in the area will be affected and our family’s in the area will be permanently affected by this project,

Liddell power station would be a much better option! I do not want this so close to my home where I’m raising a family, there’s no need for it to be built so close to a residential estate

I live right next to where this proposal is, it’s ludicrous to think something of this magnitude would be put so close to a residential area, we are an estate with 70+ rural homes, who bought where we live for the land size and rural outlook, This proposal will create visual pollution not to mention the impact on wildlife in our area, safety due to access in and out of our estate as solar farms have a history of fire issues… this is a energy solution, why wouldn’t you consider Liddell power station? where a main energy source has recently been closed !

This project is to close to our house and have concerns including the value of our hose dropping, increase traffic including in the case of emergencies.
The fire risk and plans to combat this situation!
The visibility of the farm will be an eye sore to our entire estate.

As a resident of Muscle Creek I object to the project

I do not agree with the solar development near our home. They are promoting this as using mining land but none of the land being used has been mined. This will be an eyesore on the area and there has not been enough consultation with residents who will live right near this and overlook all of it. Surely, there are better places that this could go. Eg: the old Liddell Power Station site, not near anyone. There is also a lot of area that will have to be cleared to provide for this.

Dear ESCO Group,

Re: Concerns Regarding Proposed Solar Farm near Muscle Creek

I hope this letter finds you in good health. I am writing to express my profound concerns and anxieties regarding the proposed solar farm project near Muscle Creek, which was discussed during your recent information sessions. As a long-time resident of the local area, I attended these sessions to gain a better understanding of the project's potential impact on my property and the surrounding environment.

Having lived in this community my entire life, I have worked tirelessly to fulfill the Australian dream of owning my own home and providing a stable life for my family. The prospect of a solar farm near my property has raised significant apprehensions, primarily related to the visual impact that the solar panels may have on the picturesque views I have cherished for years.

Given the substantial investment I have made in my property and the sentimental value it holds for me and my family, I am deeply concerned about the potential diminishment of its aesthetic appeal and, consequently, its market value. I believe it is only fair to explore the possibility of compensation or, in a more extreme scenario, the purchase of my property by ESCO Group if the solar farm project were to proceed.

I am reaching out to you in the hope that ESCO Group may consider a dialogue to address my concerns and explore possible solutions that could mitigate the adverse effects on my property. It is not my intention to obstruct progress or development in our community, but rather to seek a fair and equitable resolution that takes into account the impact this project may have on local residents like me.

In addition to contacting ESCO Group, I also plan to engage with our local council, as well as federal and state ministers, to ensure that my concerns are heard and considered in the decision-making process. I firmly believe that open and constructive communication can lead to mutually beneficial outcomes.

I kindly request that ESCO Group respond to this letter at your earliest convenience to initiate a dialogue on this matter. I am open to discussing potential solutions and am willing to cooperate in finding a resolution that is fair and equitable for all parties involved.
Thank you for your attention to this matter, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,
Ryan Garbyal
51 woodland ridge Mussel creek 2333
0427 270 796
[email protected]

Peter & Belinda Walsh
66 babbler crescent
Muscle creek

We wish to lodge our formal objection to the proposed solar farm at muscle creek
The location of the farm will affect 70+ houses within our woodland ridge community, our home will be approximately 500m from the proposed sit, which will decrease our land/property values, what compensation will be afforded to us?
My children have attended the information session as this effects them, as my 11 year old says “ this is a stupid place to put it, I don’t want to see solar panels and I don’t wa t to go to my friends houses and see them “
What are you going to do about the visual impact these panels will have on our community and the views that woodland ridge offers?
When all the studies were done, there were only 3 houses in our street, there is currently 14 houses, with another beginning construction, these plans are so out of date and should not be considered in the current proposal
We are not against green energy as we had solar panels added to our house before we moved in, we are just against the location

Please see attached our objection to the Muswellbrook Solar Farm

Please find attached our objection to the proposed Muswellbrook Solar Farm
Guy & Tanya Nichols

I strongly object to our countryside being vandalised by the installation of solar panel (and wind) ‘farms”. These things require vast amounts of power (coal fired power), resources, mining, and labour to produce. The manufacturing process causes pollution but it appears that as this pollution is generated overseas that this is okay!
It is time that there is opposition to the wind turbines and solar panel ‘farms’ vandalising our countryside.
I think people get lulled by terminology such as “Renewables” which sounds environmentally friendly. But these things are not! As we know they require vast amounts of mining, resources, and energy to build, transport (as most are built overseas – using vast amounts of energy – from our coal?) to the site. So, is it ok if the pollution occurs overseas and not here?
And then there is the land clearing and road building required to facilitate erection such is planned for this installation.
Look at what is happening overseas as wind/solar is recognised as being unreliable.
Let’s hope sanity may prevail and proper consideration and planning is given to energy needs, we should be a rich country and not have elderly people scared about putting on the heater or air conditioner.
Consider nuclear or what about the modern energy efficient coal fired power stations now being erected in China and India! Or is coal just too dirty a word! Could be a stop gap while we get the balance right.
That China is building more coal fired power stations to satisfy the need for solar panels and wind turbines so how ridiculous this is.

How will these things be replaced in the 20 or so years when their lifespan ends.

At a time when agricultural land is becoming scarce due to encroachment by projects such as this, as well as town and city residential expansions, we should be doing our best to preserve and maintain all agricultural land as this is the food source for generations to come.
Destruction of habitat caused by renewable energy farms, including solar panels containing heavy metals which have been known to leak into the environment. How will this pollution be measured and mitigated? Furthermore, who pays for this? Will you as a government protect the interests of the public good by finally putting a stop to the normalisation of large corporate mining ventures being able to get away with privatising the profits and socialise the costs of their energy-producing activities?
It is quite ironic that the use of solar panels becomes environmentally destructive due to:
the sourcing of the necessary rare earth metals needed for the composition of renewables such as solar panels
the tree and scrub clearing required to establish a solar farm. What happens to all the threatened flora and fauna that the "green dream" professes to be trying to save when in fact massive areas of vegetation is being sacrificed at the altar of renewables- really!!
Human Rights Abuses experienced by miners involved in the global trade in cobalt has been identified by Amnesty International. Using basic hand tools, miners including children are subjected to long periods of potentially fatal health effects in order to extract the raw materials from deep underground and where accidents are common. Between September 2014 and December 2015 alone, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) UN-run radio station, Radio Okapi, reported 80 fatal accidents involving artisanal miners in the former province of Katanga. However the true figure is likely to be far higher as many accidents go unrecorded and bodies are left buries underground. UNICEF estimated in 2017 approximately 40,000 boys and girls work in all mines across DRC, many involved in cobalt mining, minimum 12 hour shifts and even working 24 hours underground to earn US $1- 2 per day. These hours can also displace their education or if attending school they work after hours, weekends and holidays. Children were reportedly beaten by security guards when they trespassed on the mining companies’ concessions and the guards also demanded money from the children. The DRC Child Protection Code (2009) provides for free and compulsory primary education for all children. However due to a lack of adequate funding from the state, children are required to earn a wage to fund their education. (Amnesty International Jan.2016 Index: AFR 62/3183/2016)
The disposal challenge at the end of these renewable energy systems is the environmental reality of large quantities of batteries, wind turbines and solar cells after they wear out given their maximum 20 year life span. very little of the used solar panels are composed of non-recyclable materials and will end up in land fill.

Recycling is the pipe dream of green energy advocates deploying a “circular economy” as the number one priority for dealing with the material implication of clean tech. ( Ellen Macarthur Foundation, (Completing the Picture: How the Circular Economy Tackles Climate Change,” September 2019). Many materials, especially high-value metals can be recycled, but the implications are evident by the 50million tons of so-called e-*waste generated globally from worn-out or outmoded digital devices also built from rare earth metals. The tonnage of global e-waste equals “the weight of all commercial aircraft ever built” and is forecast to double in the next several decades. (World Economic Forum, “A New Circular Vision for electronics”: Time for a Global Reboot,” Jan 24, 2019)

Resource depletion relating to Battery storage:

The stated aim is to establish storage capacity but battery technology requires extensive use of finite resources such as lithium, cobalt & copper.
According to the World Economic Forum (decorum.org - the world could face lithium shortages by 2025 due to scarcity & surging demand. The world needs 3 billion electric vehicles to get to net zero (Published July 20, 2033 - accessed 20.10.22).

But is there enough lithium to make all the batteries?

There are additional concerns about the toxic pollution produced by mining of Lithium and other metals for batteries as well as documented human rights abuses. How do you reconcile the tensions between harms to people and the environment on the one hand, and purported benefits to the public and corporations on the other? Is there a role of corporate responsibility here, and is the government interested in making this visible beyond corporate spin, and calling out corporates to be held accountable?
i have included an attachment that verifies the inefficiency of renewable energy

Re: Muswellbrook Solar Farm
I object to the proliferation of wind turbines, solar factories and associated transmission lines in Australia including the proposed Muswellbrook Solar Factory.

Black Saturday fires were sparked by transmission lines. Yass Wind Farm fire was sparked by transmission lines. Recent fires in Canada and Hawaii were also sparked by transmission lines. New transmission line infrastructure is required to connect up this proposal to the grid. If this project proceeds, the wind farm and hosting landowners must be solely accountable and responsible for compensation for damages to surrounding properties if a fire spreads from this site. They must provide evidence of a minimum $20 Billion insurance premiums and maintain such insurance with CPI indexing for the the life of such factory to cover damages to surrounding properties and life from fire.
There will be loss of life resulting from the proliferation of “renewaBULLS” from bushfire.
On extreme fire danger days all farm equipment must not be used to reduce chance of sparking fires. Will solar factories and transmission lines be turned off on extreme fire danger days too? What will this do for reliability of electricity in the grid?
I do not consent to battery storage fire risk.
I do not consent to battery storage potential leakage into our water courses.
I do not consent to our community being without basic gravel, sand and particulary water during construction and after construction for the repair of internal roadways due to land slips and washouts.
I do not consent to the loss of Australian flora and fauna caused by desecreting the land for construcion.
I do not consent to BPA contamination off soloar panels contaminating landowners drinking rainwater tanks., our soil and our rivers systems with associated health impacts. There must be independent pre-construction BPA testing and ongoing testing throughout the life of the project.
I do not consent to increasing EMF levels in the area impacting surrounding landowner’s families - with links to childhood leukemia.
I do not consent to the industrialisation of our Australia and destruction of visual rural and natural amenity.
I do not consent to surrounding landowners having to pay a massive price via property devaluations “for the greater good”., if it is for the greater good then the Government should in fairness cover the cost of loss in property values paid for by all Australian taxpayers to share the burden fairly for the greater good.
I do not consent to the secret service Host Agreements where no neighbour is aware of the proposal nor do I consent to the decent naive Host not being completely enlightened and informed on the impacts on and of his farm on signing such agreements.
I do not consent to Neighbour Agreements which prevent understanding of adverse impacts on surrounding landowners which solar proponents include confidentiality clauses.
I do not consent to the so called community benefits scheme. It is only a way of ‘buying off local councils to favour the project’. The ‘benefits’ should go to those immediately near and surrounded by the pollution as those poor people will be the ones burdened with visual pollution.
I do not consent to Local Government rate payers being burdened with the cost of landfill for disused unrecyclable solar panels and associated components.
I do not consent to no bond being payable on approval of any such project. A minimum bond of at least 10% of the total cost of the project should be paid and held by Government to dismantle and restore the land to it’s original state.
I do not consent to the blasting of hills and peaks destroying our natural Australian landscape for the erection of any renewable factory.
I do not consent to any solar factory being commissioned on prime Australian agriculture land. Australia not only feeds Australians but also the world.
I do not consent to my tax payer dollars being used to compensate corporate foreign owned companies to construct solar factories. From research I strongly believe that the corporate world is not about being ‘green’ but about how many dollars can be obtained from this proposal, especially if approval obtained and onsold withinn 5 years of the predicated life span.
I do not believe our power systems should be owned by foreign corporations.
I do not consent to our Australian ecosystems being destroyed by wind and solar factories. The vast cumulative destruction of our Australian ecosystems ‘destroying our environment to save the environment’ is untenable and an ecological disaster already happening.
I believe this renewable energy madness is leading Australia towards an economic and environmental disaster which I do not consent to.

I object to the project for the proposed Muswellbrook Solar Farm.
I have provided my detailed reasons why in the accompanying attachment for review.
Regards, Stacey Miller

I fully object to the Muswellbrook Solar Plant because of the risk is too high for contamination from heavy metals leaking from panels over time and or from damage. The panel will more than likely made from slave labour in China. The photovoltaic heat island that occurs over the site travels outside the boundaries and cooks the surrounding neighbours pastures. It is well documented that land values will be down graded as the result of this development. Would you live next door. The toxic fumes from a fire are very dangerous, the hexifloride gas can be fatal if breathed in.
A Food Producer of Australia

Comments attached

This proposed solar "Farm" (that's your term, ours is "Factory") like all solar projects will destroy bushland and surrounds, create a 'heat island effect' and negatively impact other properties' produce and wildlife in general. Whilst it may achieve a modicum of power on a sunny day, it provides little on cloudy, rainy, overcast days; in the early morning and evening and NONE at night. It creates tremendous hazardous waste at the end of it's life and is subject to destruction by storms. hail and bushfires.

In short the risks easily outweigh the perceived benefits by a wide margin.