Sundown Solar Farm

I object most vehemently to the proposed Sundown Solar Farm, on several grounds, as follows: 1. It is on prime agricultural land that contains some of the best soil in the district, and is also formerly part of the historic "Newstead Station". 2. Huge volumes of water are going to be used during construction, and ongoing. I live downstream of the area concerned and I rely heavily on Kings Creek for stock water and I don't believe the volumes of water required are, or will be, available without impacting the creek substantially. Also there are the ever-present dangers of water contamination, which could cause severe environmental damage. The 75 megalitres of water proposed to be used during construction, will reduce the amount of water available for stock, and equates to watering approximately 2,400 steers per month. 3. The large volume of traffic on the Spring Mountain & Sturman's Roads will seriously impact the residents on those roads and two residents in particular, with large amounts of dust drifting onto paddocks & the grass which will render the area useless for grazing. It will be impossible to effectively spray weeds, due to the layers of dust on them, which will prevent penetration of the weedicide. The huge increase in traffic will also make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to move livestock across or along roads as necessary. 4. If the development does proceed, an alternate private road to the west is available and should be used, as it is much shorter, with no residences. 5. Solar farms should only be built in the far west of the state, where properties are large and only have minimal stock carrying capacity. 6. Many similar projects are also planned along the 330kw transmission line running through the Sundown Solar Farm and beyond, so this line will not have the capacity to accommodate this particular farm, so it definitely should not proceed.

This project will have a catastrophic impact on the residents, especially during the construction phase and will dramatically impact their quality of life.
The proposed access via Spring Mountain Road and Sturmans Road to the proposed development will turn a quiet rural road only used by local residents into a road that would see, according to page 182 of the EIS, 478 vehicles per day on Spring Mountain Road. How will landowners be able to safely move stock between paddocks? Local residents, pedestrians, kids, elderlies, the school bus will be put at risk sharing a road with trucks carrying dangerous materials and allowed to drive to up to 100km/hr. The dust from those trucks will also be a real danger for the health of the residents and their stock.
The noise levels stated in the EIS on page 162/163 do not comply with Noise Management Levels set by the Interim Construction Noise Guideline and the EIS also states that “Menari” and “Warrawee” properties will suffer “highly intrusive noise”. Appendix H (Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment), Table 5.2 on page 26 mentions that 5 vibratory rollers over 18 tonnes will be used during Stage 1 and Stage 2 of construction while it is also stated that human comfort is impacted if the vibratory roller is over 6 tonnes. The noise and the vibrations during construction phase will make it unliveable on some of the properties and will force the residents to move away while they have been living and caring for their land and animals for generations.
An alternative “Western Road” option shorter and more direct which would avoid a lot of the adverse consequences to the community has been contemplated and turned down in the EIS for reasons that do not stand scrutiny. The impacts on the community largely outweighs the additional cost for Sundown in a project that will see Sundown make huge profits in the long term.

Submission objecting to the Sundown Solar Farm and BESS Project being allowed to be built.
It is vitally essential that an electrical generating project, generating electricity to supply to the Grid must have a full supply of fuel in order that it is able to supply electricity for every second, of every minute, of every hour, of every hour, of every day, of the year, when it makes a bid to do so.
The Sundown Solar Farm and BESS Project has an insurmountable lack of fuel, which renders it to be impossible to ever be considered as a practical and economic supplier of electricity to the Grid.
To explain. The Sundown Solar panels will be powered by a weather fuel, Sunshine. At 12am, every day, the Sundown fuel tank is empty and will remain empty for the next seven to eight hours, until the Sun rises at 7am or 8am. If the weather is fine there may be six hours of viable fuel (10am to 4pm) and a further three hours (8.30am to 10am and 4pm to 5.30pm) of less viable fuel available. For a total of nine hours of fuel availability. But even this is very uncertain, because of the presence of fog, overcast cloud cover and rain, the fuel tank can suddenly become empty at any time. The amount of fuel available may be reduced to four hours or even on many Winter days, zero, with no electricity being produced. Beginning between 5pm and 6pm, the Sundown Solar Farm fuel tank becomes empty and remains empty for the next fourteen or fifteen hours. This means the fuel tank that supply the solar panels is empty for a minimum of fifteen hours of everyday and could even be empty for the whole day, with no electricity being produced.
As for including a BESS system, in the Sundown Solar Farm Complex. Batteries alone can never produce any electricity. Batteries only take in surplus electricity and then release less than they take out. Therefor batteries are inefficient in storing electricity. As the Solar Farm has fuel for only 40% of the day to generate electricity, the likelihood of there being a surplus to store is very uncertain and does not justify the cost of having the batteries. And will only increases the cost to the consumer.
For the reasons stated above, that leaves the Sundown Solar Farm with no control over a daily, significant shortage of fuel supply, that is held captive to the vagaries of the weather. This disqualifies the Sundown Solar Farm from ever being able to produce a reliable and economic supply of electricity to the Grid.
I believe it would be highly irresponsible to grant a planning permit to the Sundown Solar Farm and BESS Project, as rather than being able to make a positive contribution to the Grid, its inclusion would be totally negative and uneconomic.
Further points of objection.
1. In addition to my main objection, The Sundown Solar Farm will take up large areas of agricultural land. The loss of agricultural production will be substantial, both in volume and finance from sales per annum and the loss could continue for one hundred years or more, if the land is not restored. This has a wide effect on the surrounding towns and city of Inverell. Set against the electricity production of the Sundown Solar Farm, the lost economic agricultural production, may be more than the economic electricity production of the Solar Farm while it is in production. Once productive life of the Sundown Solar Farm has ceased in fifteen- or twenty-years’ time, then the lost financial benefit from lost agricultural production will continue to have a very significant effect on the surrounding towns and city of Inverell.
2. As all solar panels are declared hazardous e-waste in Victoria, the European Union and parts of the US., decommissioning will be a huge problem. With the Sundown Solar Farm Solar Panels containing heavy metals (such as cadmium telluride), glass, metal, sealants, copper, concrete steel reinforced blocks, steel stands, electrical cables, etc. They cannot be demolished by bulldozing and removed by excavators. But instead, they have to be removed carefully by hand which makes the cost prohibitive. And results in a huge amount of toxic waste to be disposed of, with in most cases landfill being the only option. Unless the Sundown Solar Farm puts up a restoration bond, there will be nothing stopping them from walking away and leaving the local Council and community with a very expensive noxious, Junk heap, that will pollute the whole area.
3. Consisting of so much electrification, the Sundown Solar Farm will create an extreme fire hazard to surrounding areas, particularly on a Total Fire Ban Day with the temperature at 43dC and a NW wind blowing at 50km/hr. Being so tightly packed together it would almost be impossible to contain a fire started within the Sundown Solar Farm perimeter. The surrounding land owners should be very concerned about their welfare.
4. If it should be approved to be built, then it should be mandated that the Sundown Solar Farm have a Public Liability policy to cover fire and other possible damage to surrounding areas of at least $500million to $1billion.
For the above reasons I strongly believe the Sundown Solar Farm should definitely not be granted a permit or allowed to be built.

This Projects presents very poor development credentials - in particular
1. Lack of community consultation -
2. Failure to respect indigenous culture
3. loss of visual amenity
4. Serious threat to endangered flora and fauna species.
5. Loss of good agricultural Land

Please see attached letter of objection to No.SSD-8911 development proposal.

Yet again, the location of this solar factory is completely inappropriate. On so many grounds, including the generation of so much extra traffic, causing problems for local people, including school buses and locals needing to use their roads, for emergency trips, too. Any project would need to make a private road at own cost. USE OF LOCAL WATER, and how can that be spared in times of drought, when stock need it? The area to be used for solar panels is ridiculous, WITH OVER ONE AND A HALF THOUSAND ACRES being proposed. THIS IS AN ESTABLISHED MULTI-GENERATIONAL FARMING AND GRAZING REGION who do not need the noise, traffic congestion and disruption both during the construction phase and after its finalisation, when maintenance will continue. LASTLY, HOW CAN WE ALLOW THESE FOREIGN OWNED COMPANIES TO CHANGE OUR ENVIRONMENT FOR SUCH LITTLE GENERATING CAPACITY, COMPARED WITH THE IMPACT THEY HAVE ON OUR REGIONS !!!

Swanvale is a small rural community which will be seriously affected by the solar farm development. There will be a huge increase in traffic and noise for the local residents and there has been little consultation with the developers. At a very minimum there needs to be further community consultation and consideration shown for the residents of the area. The idea that we have to always sacrifice people for profit is not an acceptable solution.
Solar farms use up prime agricultural land because they need to be situated on flatter area, they also destroy 100% of native vegetation. Already we have lost 85% of our woodlands, our bird population has declined by 50% since the 1950's. Future generations will shake their heads in horror at the damage we are continuing to do to our environment.
Every civilization which has destroyed their environment has collapsed and we are well on the way to doing the same thing. We need to stop ruining prime agricultural land and the precious environment in the New England area.
In addition when this solar farm is decommissioned there will be thousands of toxic panels to be dumped where?
In Armidale already the new Regional Waste facility is half full of broken solar panels just in the construction phase. This facility is situation directly above the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park, a great place to leak cadmium and other heavy metals into our pristine wilderness. We need to reconsider this madness.

As a Primary Producer and resident of Spring Mountain Rd and the Swan Vale district, I strongly oppose to the proposed, development and construction by Sundown Solar Farm Pty Ltd.
After no consultation from Inverell Council or Sundown Solar Farm as to the details about the project I am now only becoming aware not only of the direct impact it will have on myself and my family as residents on Spring Mountain Road, but also as a close neighbour to the proposed site.
I am particularly opposed to Inverell Council's decision to use Spring Mountain Road and Sturmans road as the preferred access roads to the site. Both these roads are no through roads and the only access for residents to access the Gwydir highway which joins the towns of Inverell and Glen Innes.
This causes me major concern as I have been made aware that during the construction phase there will be an increase in traffic by 960% DAILY ! This huge increase in traffic volume will involve 428 heavy vehicles, shuttle buses and private vehicles six days a week with an allowed speed limit of 100 km/hr on a gravel road.
This massive increase will not only cause major concern and high safety risks for residents who use this road but for landholders whose residences are within metres of the road.
Spring Mountain Road and Sturmans Road are used frequently by property owners not only for grazing their stock but for mustering stock around their farms and for transporting them to the saleyards. The mail service also uses this road.
Having this volume of traffic travelling at high speeds carrying hazardous materials, greatly increases the risk of a major accident occurring.
Residents, some who are elderly, travel on this road to access the nearest town for food and farm supplies etc and for medical services and it is the only access road to the nearest towns should a health emergency occur.
An alternative ,private, shorter more direct route was considered by Inverell council and Sundown Solar Farm however, it was rejected due to the supposed higher costs for the applicant in upgrading the intersection of the Gwydir Highway with the private road, and the impact it would have on vegetation.
I personally find these two reasons highly questionable . We as residents on Spring Mountain Road have not had any consultations with council about their decisions or reasons for rejecting the safer alternative road, but have really been kept in the dark to all proceedings . I believe closer scrutiny needs to be undertaken as to why council rejected the safer, more direct private road, especially when there are numerous risks involved by using Spring Mountain Road as the main access road.
Another concern that I have is in regards to the Solar Farm site being a fire risk. The proposed site will have 150 MW battery storage system. Knowing that fire breakouts are very likely to occur due to the increase in temperatures etc I am worried about the fire risks involved to all neighbouring properties to the site.
With Spring Mountain Road being the access road delays reaching the fire would be inevitable. As in comparison to the alternative private road, which would be the preferred access for the RFS , Spring Mountain Rd is actually 13 km longer to the site . Delays like this could be disastrous in relation to fires as they travel very quickly once started especially in this windy area.
I do not believe Inverell Council or Sundown Solar Farm has taken any of these risks into consideration when proposing Spring Mountain Road as the access road to site.
Another concern I have about the construction and upkeep of the Solar Farm is its proposal to use 475KL/year to wash the PV modules. Sundown Solar Farm will be able to access this water from neighbouring dams and bores within 5km of the project and has harvestable rights to capture and store water without a license or approval.
Having experienced nearly three years of the worst drought in Australian history and something that is a constant reality for Australian farmers, I find this usage of water excessive and unsustainable to uphold given the limited water supplies landholders have access to should droughts occur.
In conclusion, and with all the points I have voiced, I strongly oppose to the Sundown Solar Farm project and the use of Spring Mountain Road to access the site. I believe there needs to be more direct communication between landholders and residents on Spring Mountain Road and more transparency from Sundown Solar Farm and Inverell Council .

Having previously lived in the vicinity of a major project, I am extremely concerned for the local residents, particularly about the traffic and safety impacts, the noise and vibration impacts and general health issues. Rural roads are dangerous enough but when having to travel on roads being used by large trucks and heavy vehicles and an increased number of light vehicles, it becomes extremely dangerous. I had a lot of close calls with such vehicles when I lived in the vicinity of the major project. Many vehicles would not observe the speed limit, especially the small vehicles used by the project workers. There were many times when I was run off the road by these vehicles. I also had many instances of when I was lucky I didn't have to travel the roads to get to the nearest town quickly for medical assistance as, quite often, the roads were blocked by the heavy vehicles and trucks. The noise from these vehicles also impacted on me. I could hear the vehicles coming along the road, many of them starting to travel past my residence in the early hours of the morning, sometimes from 4.00 am. The impact on my health was also substantial. I suffered greatly from allergies, which were mostly put down to the dust generated by the vehicles. Windows in my house, which faced the road, could not be opened as dust would drift into the house and also the noise of the vehicles would filter in. I was often unwell, and I blame the dust created by the traffic for my illnesses.

Letter of objection attached to this entry

Objection to Application No. SSD-8911 by Sundown Solar Pty Ltd

I hereby express my strong objection to the application mentioned above, as it raises significant concerns about the lack of public consultation, awareness, and social license regarding the proposed renewable energy (RE) project in our community. Several grounds form the basis of my objection:

Insufficient Public Consultation: The community has not been given adequate time to become fully informed about the proposed project's details, potential impacts, and the measures to address any concerns. Public engagement is crucial in any decision of this magnitude, as it directly affects the lives and livelihoods of the community members.

Lack of Public Awareness: It is evident that the community at large remains unaware of the comprehensive implications of this RE project. Such projects should not be forced upon unsuspecting communities. If the true extent of the irreversible impacts on our community, environment, and infrastructure were widely known, there would undoubtedly be stronger opposition from the public. A lack of awareness undermines our democratic rights to be fully informed about such critical and permanent developments.

Absence of Social License: The concerns and preferences of the local communities have been largely overlooked during the implementation of renewable energy initiatives in the region. The RE rollout has been imposed without proper consideration for the communities and their residents. The broader community has consistently shown that they reject these projects in our region and demand that their concerns be addressed and respected by the relevant authorities.

Cumulative Impact on the New England Region: The proposed energy development could have significant cumulative impacts on the New England region, considering the number of renewable energy projects already in operation or planned in the area. The New England region is predominantly zoned for Primary Production, and such projects could substantially alter the nature and use of the land into an industrialized setting. This transformation poses unprecedented and unnecessary changes to the primary use of the land.

Unsuitability of the Location for Renewable Energy Projects: The proposed site appears unsuitable for a renewable energy project due to its current designation for Primary Production activities. Changing the land's primary use to that of an industrial factory goes against the established zoning and land use plans. Additionally, this region may not possess the necessary infrastructure to support large-scale renewable energy facilities adequately.

In conclusion, I urge the relevant authorities to consider these objections seriously and halt the approval process until thorough public consultation and awareness campaigns are conducted. The community's concerns and well-being should be paramount in any decision-making process, ensuring that our democratic rights are upheld and respected. Additionally, alternative locations or solutions that align better with the region's current land use should be explored to strike a balance between renewable energy ambitions and community interests.

Yours sincerely
Suella Tritton

1) It will be very noisy and dusty. 2) There are not enough doctors in town so the company should provide at least one extra doctor who will treat the workers but also be available for the locals. 3) I'm concerned also that the solar farm will take up arable land that should be used for agriculture.

The adverse effects of the project on the local community will be catastrophic.
1)The disturbance by the noise AND pollution caused by the heavy machinery will negatively impact the well being of the residents and their livestock and livelihood.
2)The disruption of the access roads to and from the remote properties could have drastic consequences. The access to Spring Mountain Road and Sturman rd is vital for the daily existence of the local residents.
3) The vibration caused by the works is likely to cause long term damage and stress to the residents- the EIS states that the vibration ‘may exceed the levels for human comfort’
This is alarming.
4)The interruption to the viability of the pristine farming land is unfathomable. This area is vital for the cattle industry as well as other primary industry.
The land should not be ruined for this project.
5) This project should be stopped.

This project poses significant environmental, economical, health and social impacts to the locals, livestock and the land they live on. This solar farm will take valuable farming land from primary production capabilty and cause major disruption to surrounding properties. It will limit stock movements, disrupt normal farming activities and be hazardous to stock in general and local land owners. The dust from the 960% increase in traffic activity will cause decline in quality of produce and the solar farm itself has the potential to hazardous leaks and other dangers.
The New England region is some of the finest agricultural land in Australia and it would be insane to poison ths land with energy projects. There is millions of hectares of unusable land elswhere that would suit a project like this instead of jeopardising the surrounding properties.
The impact on locals though is something that needs to be more considered. It seems as though the consultation process has been lack lustre and as a result has many people confused and saddened that this project is moving forward. The project is intrusive, lacks consideration and should not go ahead.

I've worked on many rural properties over the years and feel the project would have adverse business impacts and financial loss would be suffered by the farming enterprises conducted in the Swan Vale area. Public roads split many farming properties and farmers often have to cross these roads regularly in the process of moving livestock from paddock to paddock. It would be dangerous to use the public road with the increase in traffic but also be detrimental to the livestock as they will not graze near the road, even from behind a fence. This will make those parts of the paddocks unusable. I would also be concerned about the harm to groundwater and contamination risks. Drought is becoming more severe in Australia and farmers already are struggling to keep water up to livestock. Also, it is being predicted that Australia is going to see a worse bush fire season than the last so the added risk this project would create is fire. Drivers of vehicles throwing cigarette butts from their vehicles is one way a major bush fire could be started but also fires could be started during the course of building the project ie. from welding sparkes etc.

This project will have far reaching negative impacts on the local residents, wildlife and sacred land.
The pollution will create contamination of the natural environment and negatively impact the residents and livestock.
The noise pollution will corrupt the peaceful livelihood and mental health of the residents- many who have chosen to live there for decades.
The wildlife endemic to the area will be at risk which is unacceptable.
This land is sacred for the indigenous community and all who live there.
This project should not go ahead.

Sundown Solar Farm Objection- app no SSD-8911

I want to raise my objections against the Sundown Solar Farm.

As a former Inverell resident I am aware of the critical role agriculture plays in the community. The sheer volume of renewable projects that are being developed and installed is concerning. It is concerning due to the locking up of agriculture resources and the flow on impacts this has. Farming is one of the biggest employers and overall financial contributors to the ongoing prosperity of the area.



There seems to be a lack of a long-term strategy in the development of renewables and where they are located. There is also little regulation in place to appropriately govern how those properties that neighbour these installations are kept informed, impacts to them are identified and clear communication as to how those impacts will be mitigated.



I object to this development.

Regards
Samantha Williams

I am writing to OBJECT in the strongest terms to the Sundown Solar Farm (No. SSD-8911).

My objection to project (SSD-8911) is on the following grounds:
• traffic safety and hazard risk,
• noise,
• dust,
• cumulative impacts of multiple renewable projects in the area.

Please find attached my letter of objection.

I believe that this is not the place for this project

The traffic generated during the construction phase will create an enormous amount of wear & tear on both Spring Mountain Road and Sturmans Road. The roads are dirt and such a dramatic increase in the number of vehicles travelling on the road will cause dust to be thrown over neighbouring farms which concerning for both human and animal health. As a minimum, both Spring Mountain Road and Sturmans Road need to be upgraded to bitumen if the project is to proceed or an alternative route should be used so as to not disturb the nearby farms who will struggle to move livestock with the increased traffic volumes.