Winterbourne Wind Farm

The reason why i support the project is because it with create up to 400 jobs for the builders and construction workers building these sites. This will improve our town as these workers are coming through, they will bring their families who may have vital jobs that Walcha needs who will provide and strengthen the community. With these families coming through they will buy local produce, providing money to the community.
Millions with be given to rural new England, which could go to say making a scholarship to a university for a local kid who might never have had the opportunity otherwise.
The land that Vestas and the landowners have picked is not prime agricultural land. It is the rockiest, and windiest country that has been chosen for this project. With the trucks coming through, the roads will be redone and and that will help the farmers who have to move stock through paddock to paddock.
It would be good if the developer could have a decommissioning clause in their approval so we can feel assured that at the end the towers will be approved.
Climate change is all around us with droughts and floods as seen in the past years. The windfarms will create a 3% decrease in greenhouse gasses.

I object to the Winterbourne Wind project. I work locally in Walcha and am very concerned by the effect this project is having on my town. A great division has already occurred which is evident on a daily basis even where I work – so I am very worried that if the project is approved and construction begins this chasm will become even more vast. I am very aware of the importance of renewable technology and believe it is the only way going forth – but after learning about this project more, I don’t believe Winterbourne Wind has Walcha’s best interest at heart.

I am concerned about the impact to local roads from heavy vehicle movements and the disruptions to the day-to-day activities of the local community. The road network is under enough strain as it is with the wet weather, and additional, frequent movements by multiple heavy vehicles will only cause further damage to an already-stressed system. The Oxley Highway between Bendemeer and Walcha has been identified as part of the route for the transportation of turbine components, many of which are oversized. Transporting these turbines and blades will require the use of the entire road width as they are up to 6 meters in width and 85 meters in length. In turn this necessitates sections of the road to be closed in order for trucks to negotiate tight bends and narrow bridges, resulting in estimated traffic delays of up to 2 hours.
Given the anticipated congestion on the Oxley Highway during peak transport periods (currently estimated to be an additional 300 movements per day comprising B-Double, semi and rigid trucks, and light vehicles), it is probable that locals and others will look for alternative routes to travel between Walcha and Tamworth. Thunderbolts Way (heading north from Walcha to Uralla) and Bergen Road is a likely choice. Bergen Road is a road we use on a daily basis, not only for transport, but also as a livestock carriageway moving stock both along and across the road. Additional traffic along this road will impact us and others that use the road for the safe movement of livestock. Extra traffic on Bergen Road also then becomes a problem for the local Council, given the likely need for increased maintenance. This would be at local ratepayer's expense. The ratepayers of Walcha should not have to foot the bill for this indirect consequence of the construction of wind turbines affecting local roads.

I have several concerns outlined below:

1. Proportionality: Every Australian individual and community must contribute to the transition to renewable energy. Wind farms, while an excellent renewable option, do have a negative impact on human and animal health and significantly alter the appearance of a landscape. The construction of wind farms must therefore occur in as many viable regions as possible, so as to avoid large scale projects like this one. It is not proportionate for the Walcha district to provide up to 15% of NSW’s energy demand when there are so many more regions in Australia that can host wind farm projects. A wind farm is no coal mine, but a large scale wind farm like the one proposed will bring a vast new road and track system that will drastically effect farm ecosystems and a large power line system that will again effect the productivity, value and daily outlook of many exceptional properties.

2. Distribution of income: This project proposal (online that I have access to) makes no mention of the income that will be generated over the span of the projects. 15% of NSW’s annual energy production would surely equate to hundreds of millions of dollars. Given that the Walcha district will be hosting this project, the whole community should greatly benefit. $750,000 annually would barely cover annual road works for the district, so any possibility for modern, community enhancing projects is extremely low. Where would the remaining hundreds of millions of dollars go? To a small group of people within the project’s company, many of whom live and re-invest overseas.

3. Decommissioning: The decommissioning plan of this project is in no way ‘renewable’. The company that installed and profited from the project MUST be responsible for their decommissioning. If not, it is no different to a mining company leaving a mine site without any rehabilitation.

4. Foreign ownership: The Federal and NSW Government's and the Walcha community and land owners should only support Australian owned and led renewable companies. This project would contribute a minuscule amount of equity to the Australian economy and without complete Australian oversight poses a risk our energy security.

5. Farm and Environmental Health: It’s claim that the environment/biodiversity will not be affected because the proposed sites are primarily on grazing country is flawed. Farms are now unarguably part of the Australian environment, and the animals and native wildlife that live on them only thrive on them if the farming ecosystem is in good health. Drastically increased, unnatural noise and increased tracks will always have an effect on farm health. On a large scale the effects have the potential to greatly affect production and native biodiversity. As such, with any site (of any size) that is in fact built, the land owner, regional council and other community organisations must be given more resources to mitigate the affect on farm and environmental health.

The Winterbourne Wind Farm project needs to proceed ,as a nation we need to turn to renewable energy sources.
This project is providing us with the green energy we need .
We have to stop using coal for producing power & reduce our emissions
The project will provide a boost to the Walcha economy .
This project must proceed

This project is going to damage many small rural communities. It will destroy our land and water.

I have a number of concerns relating to the project:
ROADS - The estimated vehicle movements during construction will have a significant impact on key roads used by Walcha locals, particularly the Oxley Highway between Walcha and Bendemeer in terms of traffic congestion and likely increased travel times. There are many Walcha locals who work in Tamworth (myself included), and vice versa, whose daily commute will be impacted. Of particular concern though is the ramifications this presents for emergency service vehicles to and from our town, whose movements are generally unpredictable, often time-sensitive and not simply able to be timed outside of the transport of turbine blades. Imagine needing critical emergency care that can only be provided in Tamworth, but the trip just got longer. Lights and sirens will be of no use when the road between Walcha and Tamworth is blocked intermittently for the transportation of blades. Even the need to attend specialist appointments, or access regular oncology care in Tamworth (which is often required daily) may be made more difficult for Walcha locals due to potentially increased travel times during construction.

AERIAL FIRE FIGHTING - Logic dictates that aircraft cannot fly within a certain range of an operating turbine, which begs the question around how aerial support for fighting bushfires in and around the region of the proposed turbines would be possible. The answer? It simply would not. In recent years, our community has suffered through its share of bushfires, and aerial firefighting has played a crucial role in saving people's homes, their livestock, pastures and livelihoods. Gorge country is bush country, and the option of fighting fires from the air via plane or helicopter should not be removed from the suite of options considered and employed in the event of bushfires. Where property, livestock, and human lives are potentially at stake, it is simply unacceptable and an unfair risk to those living in and around the rim of the gorge (and proposed areas with turbine construction) that aerial firefighting would not be possible for decades to come.

TOURISM - A former manager of our local health service once said to me (in reference to our landscape) "I miss Walcha. It's God's country up there". We are blessed with majestic, scenic landscape that tourists travel to see, and such tourism boosts our local economy. In addition to turbines, the establishment of further large-scale transmission lines across the landscape will further damage the beauty and environmental appeal of Walcha and its surrounds. Words like 'ugly' and 'industrial' come to mind.....which somehow don't hold the same attraction in terms of a destination worth visiting.

COMMUNITY BENEFIT - In reality (and based on information shared by other small, rural communities who have been through this process) it is unlikely there will be many local jobs during construction and even fewer (if any) in the longer term. This project and others like it are already causing, and will continue to cause, community division, destroying the vitality of what makes Walcha, Walcha, and a strong and resilient community.

DECOMMISSIONING - The construction of turbines is one thing, but their decommissioning is another significant issue and one for great concern. The costs of decommissioning are huge. Who covers these costs if there is simply not enough 'money left in the pot' of the project owner or land owner in 25-30 years? Who governs this process? Even the Clean Energy Council's website mentions a lot of "should" and "could". While it does state a decommissioning plan will be developed, there is no mention of any regulations governing or standardising this process. And can decommissioning happen in a sustainable way given a large percentage of the blades are non-recyclable?


This is a huge issue with SIGNIFICANT and varied implications and consequences (most of which are irreversible) for all members of the Walcha Community. It is essential that all concerns raised are acknowledged and comprehensively addressed to ensure any such project is not rubber-stamped and pushed through in a hurry.

Even though I live in Sydney I have been a regular visitor to Walcha over the last years. It is a wonderful community and a great opportunity to relax and refresh. Renewable energy is an essential part of the future, for Australia and the World. Wind and sun are the best forms of renewable energy. Rural towns need to flourish and this is a great opportunity to add investment and diversity to the area.
I 100% support this project. Benefits will include;
Local economic opportunities – jobs, tourism, economic stimulus
Funding of local projects through the community fund
Fight against climate change
Clean energy for future generations
Diversification of local economy
Supporting farmers and families to stay on the land
Upgrading of local roads

Our region is already suffering the impacts of global warming, including droughts, bushfires, floods and other severe weather events, which threaten the productivity of our agricultural land.

Consequently, we need well-managed renewable energy projects with generous community benefit schemes, to create the best possible future for our country.
Over four times as many expressions of interest were received for the New England Renewable Energy Zone as available capacity, so it should be possible to negotiate with developers to ensure the best possible outcomes for our community, ideally including low-cost renewable power for the entire community. The best outcome will be achieved if developers work with the community to address of the many as possible of the issues that were raised in submissions by the community.

As the consent authority, the NSW Government needs to work with the developers and the community to ensure this development is a showcase project that addresses all relevant issues including:
* Generous benefit-sharing and community power agreements
* Compensation for all damage to the roads
* Investigation of whether rail transport could be used to Tamworth or Walcha Road to avoid some of transport problems, possibly with a contribution from the developers to the cost of any upgrades needed to the rail link
* Agreement for the community to receive a proportion of the sale price if the project is sold to another developer after approval
* Creation of a fund to cover the cost of decommissioning at the end of the useful life, but no requirement to decommission after 25 years if the project is still generating useful power
* Independent monitoring of wind noise and an agreed level of compensation for any detrimental impacts of noise and or loss of visual amenity
* Compensation schemes for neighbours of wind-turbine hosts proportional to the distance from the turbines

I object to the Winterbourne Project because
1. mental health of people as it divides the community
2. Ruins our beautiful scenery
3. Noise pollution
4. Infrasound and how it affects people and animals
5. The company that are in charge of this project are lying about alot of things

The Winterbourne Wind Farm will be beneficial to the new England region in that it will provide a lot of jobs during the construction stages and when complete.
It is a much cleaner and cheaper form of energy.

Energy Co failed to engage with the New England community prior to declaring the New England Renewable Energy Zone. Declaring rural areas REZs is a total betrayal of rural communities and has resulted in multiple developments with no consideration of cumulative effects on the region.
The developer has totally failed in the requirement to engage with the community and inform them of the impacts of their proposed industrial development.
There is no social license for this project, a recent community survey results in 79% of respondents opposed to the development..
The cumulative impacts of multiple proposed renewable developments requires an independent body to report on the likely impacts on our rural community and environment.
It is madness to destroy highly productive agricultural land for industrial developments of this scale, it is doubtful that the energy produced will address any meaningful requirements for green energy and will bring with it visual, noise and environment destruction.
It is unclear who will pay for the decommissioning of wind turbines at end of their useful life, blades can not be recycled so where do they go or will they be left to rust in situ for future generations to deal with.
Until there is a legal commitment from developers, who stand to make a lot of money in the form of taxpayer subsidies, no wind turbines should be erected anywhere is Australia.
There is one road into Walcha on which turbines will be transported this will cause traffic chaos and put the community and visiting tourists at risk.
I believe the developers EIS is a poorly constructed flawed document and demonstrates the quality of the commitment this developers has to the Walcha community

Please find the attached document submitted on behalf of ReD4NE (Responsible Energy Development for New England)

As a business owner in the Walcha district I strongly support the Winterbourne Wind Farm Project going ahead. I believe it will be a huge economic windfall for this district.
My only concern relating to the project is that no wind turbine should be within 2.5 kilometres of a dwelling where permission has not been given.

I am writing this submission to object to the winterbourne wind farm. i feel that the current EIS is inadequate especially in regards to the research carried out on the effect this project will have on the environment.
I also believe the disruption to the community during the installation phase of the project will have a huge negative effect. The traffic and delays this will cause between Walcha and Bendemeer will negatively effect a number of jobs and businesses that myself and other community members rely on. Also the effect on emergency service vehicles ability to travel along the road will be disrupted.

Whilst I was initially in support of this project, it has come to my attention that there are grey areas in the EIS that cannot be overlooked.

Firstly, it would seem that the proposed wind tower generator for this project has never been commissioned and tested in real world conditions as the model proposed has never been constructed.
“The Vestas V162-6.2MW WTG has yet to be installed at any wind farm. The first installation is due to commence in the second quarter of 2022 in Finland… …Without an IEC61400-11 test report it is not possible to evaluate tonality or provide confidence to predicted sound power levels.” (Winterbourne Wind Farm EIS Peer Review, Page 14)
https://www.globalenergyworld.com/news/sustainable-energy/2021/07/02/vestas-wins-192-mw-order-finland-increases-rating-v16260-mw-enventus-turbine-62-mw
As stated in the link above “The project is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2023.”
Due to the NVA section of the EIS being based purely on predictive simulation, I believe it would be prudent to wait for the proposed WTG to be completed and tested to evaluate its performance properly before undertaking such a large-scale installation in an environmentally sensitive area.

More alarmingly, there are indications that a “different turbine model / size” (EIS 6.4.5.3) may be selected, and that the layout and ancillary infrastructure may all be changed.
“Section 11 of the NVA advises that the turbine layout, wind turbine model, ancillary infrastructure may all be changed.
The NVA and EIS is effectively outlining a preliminary development that may meet the requirements of the SEAR. The EIS appears in reality to be a scoping study rather than an accurate noise impact assessment.
It is inconsistent for an EIS, that must include ‘completed technical studies, including an accurate noise impact assessment for relevant dwellings undertaken consistent with the requirements of the Noise Assessment Bulletin’, to state that the wind turbine layout, the turbine type, the consideration of other matters such as tonality, low frequency noise and sound power levels can all change and are issues that will be considered after approval of the EIS.” (Winterbourne Wind Farm EIS Peer Review, Page 3)
On a local government level you cannot submit a development application for a project, have it approved, and then construct something else, but in the case of this EIS this would seem to be exactly the situation.

In its current form the EIS cannot adequately represent the possible impact on the environment and therefore should not be accepted.
If the concerns I have listed above are addressed and rectified in a future EIS submission I would be prepared to change my position on this project.

As part of the New England Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), the Winterbourne Wind Farm could potentially contribute approximately 600 megawatts of new renewable energy capacity. While we have not engaged closely with the contents of this Environmental Impact Statement, we have been aware of the development of the project and community consultation activities for well over a decade.

We would particularly like to note the extremely generous size of the community enhancement fund, being an upfront contribution of $1 million, with a minimum of $750,000 per annum for 30 years if the project is built to 600 MW, with an additional $1,000 per annum for every megawatt of capacity built beyond 600 MW.

To our knowledge, this will be the largest community enhancement fund of any renewable energy project in Australia and the proponent is to be commended for this significant contribution to the local community.

Our understanding is that the genesis of this unique fund was the agreement reached between the originator of the project, Mirus Wind, and members of the Walcha community to ensure the financial benefits from the project were distributed beyond the involved landholders to include the broader Walcha community. While the profile of the fund has evolved over the more than a decade since its inception to more resemble community enhancement funds at other NSW wind farms, the quantum demonstrates that benefits returned to the community from renewable energy projects can be material to the future economic prosperity of towns the size of Walcha.

A fund this size is unusual in a town the size of Walcha. It presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver long-term benefits to critical community infrastructure that serves genuine community needs. It will be critically important that the fund be administered prudently, in a deliberative manner, with maximum community input and control, and with a view to the long term. Done badly, such a sizable amount could be a source of unnecessary community tension. At the very least, a portion of contributions from the fund should go to administrative and strategic support that can facilitate delivery of projects the community wants into the future.

We note that such a fund, should the project proceed to construction, will be likely to operate alongside a larger regional community fund established by EnergyCo as part of the New England REZ. Coordination with the regional fund will be an important issue to address.

To whom it may concern,

My/our detailed submission on behalf of my property is to be submitted separately for 1878 Winterbourne Rd, Walcha.

I am not in support of the proposal to proceed with the Winterbourne project however I vehemently object to the 5 turbines at 230m in height that Vestas are proposing to install directly South and adjacent to my dwelling.
The proposed turbines are at a minimum less than 2000m from my dwelling and will tower over the adjacent hill bearing down over my dwelling.
I will not be able to escape the constantly spinning turbines from anywhere surrounding my dwelling without the turbines spinning in full view, in fact , 5 will be visible with 2 turbines at hub height including almost two thirds of the full blade circumference.
The visual impact of the entire project is completely detrimental to the lifestyle and environmentally rich surrounds and WILL destroy the local Wedge tailed Eagle population which soar over the proposed turbine site nearly daily. Is this the way in which as a society we need to protect the diverse flora and fauna? Do we need to destroy more trees for vehicle access on the local roadways, Do we need to destroy thousands of acres or rich farm land for service roads? Do we need to divide a community? Is this the solution?
I am not against renewables, however the proposed location does not have the existing necessary resources for this development, roads, transmission infrastructure, water and most importantly community support.
From the time of meeting with Vestas (at the Walcha Show, March 2021) instigated by my wife and I, there was a promise of a photo montage, of which due to mitigating circumstances of COVID and bad weather, was delayed and the photographer attended our property after numerous failed attempts, in November 2021.
The photographer took a panoramic photograph and I insisted that there was another photograph taken from elsewhere within my curtilage, and not behind the tree (see attached, cleaned version in high contrast), of which the photographer obliged.
Meanwhile in September 2021, I was offered a neighbour agreement of $10,000/ year for a 30 year period which at the time seemed attractive.
In February 2022 I was requested to meet Vestas representatives (Doug Landfear, Richard Finlay-Jones and one other lady , not sure of her name) where the photo montage was presented and another attempt to have me sign the neighbour agreement was sought.
However after the presentation of the initial montage I was appalled and insulted when offered the proposed outlook of the project as it was taken directly behind a tree and showed nothing. At this point, I insisted that Vestas were to send me a montage from the alternate position within my curtilage of which I knew there was a photograph taken. I subsequently have been sent this montage however I believe that once Vestas realised that I was not a willing participant in support of the project, it seems that all communication, as limited as it was, would cease.
I have numerous questions regarding the validity of the proposal, most curiously, why would any government overlay a renewable energy zone over a biodiversity zone? If renewables are the proposed solution to saving the environment, why do we need to further destroy the delicate ecology that is the Winterbourne area, directly adjacent to the natural beauty of the Winterbourne Gorge.
I can assure you that if the project is approved, my family and I will be relocating to another area as the beauty and tranquility that is Walcha and the Winterbourne area will be destroyed forever, for all generations.
And as I am assured by the developers and advocates for the project suggest, there will be no effect on the property prices, until I declare the project details and show the visual and noise impacts the turbines will have directly on Arran Park.. would you buy it?
Regards
Ryan