Winterbourne Wind Farm

I support this project for our future generations.

Travelling through Europe, Wind Farms are a normal and accepted part of life. Travelling on a speed train through French beautiful countryside, dozens of wind farms scatter the paddocks. This is because they are a forward thinking nation in terms of sustainability and climate change.

South Africa are in the midst of a power crisis. The demand for electricity exceeds the available supply, so the country must plan regular power outages. This has reduced economic growth and increased crime rates.

We must think of the future, alternate and renewable sources of energy are inevitable. We must play our part on a local and a global stage.

Additional benefits include:
o Urgent requirement to transition from fossil fuel generation to slow climate change
o The evidence of climate change is all around us: drought, bushfire, floods, storms, loss of wildlife, rising temperatures, ocean acidification, loss of coral reefs
o Wind energy is far cheaper than new fossil fuel generation, with none of the air, water, and land pollution associated with burning coal
o NSW goal is to have 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 (relative to 2005 levels) and we are nowhere close to that
o This project will provide about 3% of the greenhouse gas emissions reduction required to achieve this goal
o There is an urgent need to replace ageing fossil fuel plants in NSW and Australia, with AEMO forecasting 60% of the existing coal generation will be withdrawn from the energy market by 2030…this will require a staggering buildout of renewables in a very short timeframe
o The project will see hundreds of millions of dollars spent in regional NSW, creating jobs and skills for the future economy
o Up to 400 jobs created during construction, and 16 permanent operations jobs
o The project will deliver $1 million upfront contribution and $750,000 per annum to a Community Benefit Fund for the Walcha and Uralla communities

Please find my submission in support of the Winterbourne Wind Farm Project

I object to the Wintebourne Wind Farm project because of many issues, I would like to highlight 7 of these particular issues:
1. Aboriginal Perspective - for me we are going down the track of taking aboriginal land and culture again due to no consultation with the correct traditional first nations people of the site of this development. The Dunghutti people have not been consulted and the ACHAR was completed with limited consultation of first nations people.
2. Koala Habitiat - The Winterbourne Wind farm will cause destruction of wildlife habit and corridors that will directly and negatively impact the Koala population of the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park and ridgelines. New Federal Legislation is being proposed to protect wildlife these National Parks where development proposals that could impact matters of national environmental significance including threatened species such as kolas must be assessed by the Federal government under the Environment Protection Biodiversity Conservation Act. Is this happening? How can this project be approved in light of this proposed legislation? The national threatened species cannot wait for this legislation to be agreed by parliament. If the Tamworth wind farm development is being assessed under this legislation, is Winterbourne Wind going to be assessed against this legislation also?
3. Fire Risk - Wind turbine catches fire near Goulburn on 5 January 2023. The height of the turbine was reported to be too high for the fire services to access and it was left to burn. The Winterbourne Wind turbines are 230 metres high, the highest turbines yet to be built. The 119 Winterbourne Wind turbines are adjacent to the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park and this includes World Heritage listed Gondwana Rainforest. The risk to the national park and surrounding farmland is so great from unmanageable wind turbine fire. There is a hire risk of embers whose projectile paths will be further enhances by the action of the wind turbine blades. The National Park Service have indicated that they will not be able to aerial bomb the fires in the national park and surrounding farmland due to the turbines.
4. Scenic Impact - Burrundulla Solar Project near Mudgee is in doubt on the grounds that they ruin the "scenic quality" of regional towns such as Mudgee. Country towns such as Armidale, Albury, Bathurst, Dubbo, Griffith, Goulburn, Orange, Tamworth and Wagga Wagga have been added to this list.
Walcha is on the edge of the same National Park as Armidale. It has the same "scenic qualities" and we as a community rely on tourism as a large contributing to our local economy, along with agriculture. Will "scenic quality" be considered when assessing this Wind Farm development and will the local environment court be involved in this decision for Winterbourne? Wind Farms will be rejected if they are deemed to impact views, scenic quality or future land use all of which the Winterbourne Wind Farm will do.
5. Traffic and Transport - my daily travel for work and school in Armidale specifically follows the proposed route of traffic flow for the Winterbourne Wind Farm. Already it is a 1 hour and 10 minute journey to and from my home to work and school. My concern is the increased time that it will take, the increased risk of exposure to harm, and the deterioration of the road surface from the increased traffic on the road. This will not only affect my family but many 100's of Walcha residents, businesses and tourists.
6. The effect on the community is great. We are divided, stressed, angry, feeling helpless, we are being told untrue things by pro developers and having vital information withheld by the developers due to confidentiality clauses and one sided propaganda.
7. Why can so few landholders decide whar happens to our community?

I object to the Winterbourne Wind Farm. Please see attached.

I support this project as it not only supports Australia to transition its energy production from fossil fuels to renewable generation sources, but especially because the long-term benefits are a great opportunity for the community.

I object to the winterbourbe wind farm project.
My name is Anna Young. I have lived in Walcha for over a decade on a grazing property and work as a clinical psychologist locally.
This EIS highlights multiple areas of concern for me that need to be thoroughly considered and I believe when considered in a balanced way should lead to the project being ceased.
Firstly, I am concerned about the significant LACK of meaningful consultation that has taken place within our community with both the indigenous and non-indigenous populations. The developer states that they have conducted surveys in the community - see appendix R of social report page 27. Their sample size is 17 people in a march 22 survey where 14 of 17 people said they had concerns about the project. A December 2021 survey of a sample size of only 25 people over 50% again had concern. Of a march 21 survey only 33 responded sample size again a significantly low representation of the walcha community and not a large enough sample size to derive a community response. The developers consultations didn’t include adequate information sharing due to ongoing secrecy about the projects and lack of transparency about the project. The two march projects took place at the walcha show where thousands of people attend and yet they were only able to get an extremely small response rate. Furthermore there is a trend for increasing concern now more information has been shared and the community has been made aware through local groups challenging the project only. The community response and thoughts about this project has been adequately addressed by a survey conducted in December 2022 (not by the developer), where only local postal code residents could respond and over 523 responses were collected. With my professional expertise I can safely say this is a significant sample population of over 25% of the Walcha community and the responses were clear with over 80% of respondents saying they don’t want the project to proceed in Walcha and 86% stating they had seriously concerns about the lack of consultation and openness with our community.

I also object to the project due to a significant number of uncertainties that the EIS fails to adequately address such as the biodiversity impacts (potential impacts to UNESCO NAtional parks through run off during construction, impacts to raptors and eagles through the blades and impacts to other animals in the parks such as koalas). There is uncertainty about our roads during construction (with Walcha having only 2 access roads that trucks can come via and these also being needed for ambulance, stock transport and other integral areas) and where do they plan to get the water necessary for construction. The mathematics provided in the EIS pertaining to the amount of water needed is incorrect. This is going to put a huge strain on resources. There is also concern about the lack of adequately identified deconstruction processes such as contracts to hold the developer responsible at the time of deconstruction. There are too many uncertainties that pose a significant risk to the future of the walcha community.
My final concern is that of health concerns that aren’t adequately addressed. The EIS fails to talk about mental health entirely. given the significant concerns of the community highlighted in the survey conducted in December by voice for walcha there is a significant amount of stress and distress in the community that this project is creating and has not been addressed by the developers. Further what about research highlighting concern for physics health impacts including from blade flicker and noise - that the EIS doesn’t adequately address.
This EIS submission is poor and full of errors and this project should not be going ahead in Walcha.
Kind regards,
Anna Young

I support the Winterbourne Wind Farm project on the basis that this project directly aligns to the Government’s net-zero emissions targets and will create jobs and revenue for New South Wales farmers.

The Australian Government has committed, through its Renewable Energy Target, to reduce greenhouse gases in the electricity sector and encourage the generation of electricity from sustainable and renewable sources. With the Winterbourne Wind Farm Project expected to generate approximately 2,100,000 megawatt hours (MWh) per year of clean, renewable energy (enough to power more than 375,000 average NSW homes for a year), the project directly aligns to and supports the Government’s Renewable Energy Target.

Specifically, New South Wales (a state currently most dependent on coal) is forecast to reach 84% renewables by 2030, with a net-zero emissions target by 2050. This target will not be achieved unless renewable energy projects such as this one are supported by our Government and implemented as a matter of urgency.

As coal fired power plants continue to be retired across New South Wales, it is critical that these plants be replaced with renewable sources of energy to ensure New South Wales and Australia meets its renewable energy targets.

In addition to delivering renewable, low-cost energy to the National Electricity Market, the Winterbourne Wind Farm project is expected to create up to 400 jobs during construction as well as permanent operations jobs. With unemployment rates expected to increase, projects such as this one will support our rural community by creating jobs. Further, as our farmers struggle to remain profitable due to, amongst other things, recent climate events, this project would provide income for New South Wales farmers who supply their land to host the turbines.

In light of or the above, I support the Winterbourne Wind Farm and believe it would be a positive development in delivering renewable, low cost energy to New South Wales.

Winterbourne wind project is of great concern to our area. At this current time we as a family are unable to travel into Walcha without damage to our vehicles due to the damage of the road, therefore during the construction of the Winterbourne wind project I believe this will have a cumulative impact to further damage our existing roads especially the Walcha Road bridge. Further concerns of mine this project will be a fire hazard if a turbines catches a light (as recently seen in Australia) being in close proximity to our local National parks, which then threatens the endangered species of wildlife.
There are no facts available about how far the noise will travel from the developers, this needs to be addressed.

wind farm projects (https://www.winterbournewindfarm.com.au/) in rural NSW (Walcha)
I would like to highlight the 2030 targets and that NSW needs to get going quickly to meet the targets and that as NSW retires coal fired power plants we will need to replace them with something better. 

This project is quite large $1.8 billion and will create jobs, and income for the farmers that let them use their land to host the turbines. Up to 400 jobs created during construction, and 16 permanent operations jobs.

This is our families future and we need to build and develop sustainable energy sources. Climate change is evident and everything needs to be done to support changes needed.

I believe 2030 targets and that NSW needs to get going quickly to meet the targets and that as NSW retires coal fired power plants we will need to replace them with something better. 

This project is quite large $1.8 billion and will create jobs, and income for the farmers that let them use their land to host the turbines. Up to 400 jobs created during construction, and 16 permanent operations jobs.

The world needs to transform the way we generate energy, moving away from fossil fuels to renewable sources. Australia must play its part through the rapid rollout of wind farms and other low emission energy generation. The Winterbourne Wind Farm has an important role to play, and I support the project.

I object to the Winterbourne Wind Farm. I have attached my submission. Thank you

I object to the Winterbourne Wind farm for the following reasons:

1. Major disruption to traffic west of Walcha
I live in the Walcha Road area, and any trip to Walcha involves travelling 20 kms of the Oxley Highway. One area of particular concern during the proposed construction of the Winterbourne wind turbines is the Walcha Road bridge and the Walcha Road hill. The bridge is a 1 lane bridge after a 90 degree corner. This is followed by 2 km of windy road up the Walcha Road hill with no place to overtake.
The EIS states that there will be 39 over sized trucks per week transporting the components for the wind turbines over the 42 weeks of construction. This equates to more than 6 trucks per day average.
If the delay to traffic caused by wide loads going over the Walcha Road Bridge and up the Walcha Road hill is 15 minutes per load – each day there will be a delay of 90 minutes (1 ½ hours) per day, 6 days per week over the 42 weeks of construction.
Alternatively, if the delay is 30 minutes for each load, the delays to traffic per day will be 180 minutes (3 hours) 6 days per week during the 42 weeks of construction.
This will impact local traffic including school buses, rural fire service vehicles and ambulances, bulk milk delivery trucks and stock carriers. Delays will also impact on tourists travelling the Oxley Highway.
These delays will impact freight deliveries. Many freight companies even now do not divert off the New England highway. If there are regular delays on the Oxley Highway to Walcha, it could be anticipated that freight companies will not travel to Walcha, instead, have drop offs at Tamworth and Armidale only.

2. Lack of rental accommodation.
Rental accommodation in Walcha is very scarce at the moment, impacting on attracting workers to Walcha. If the Winterbourne Wind farm goes ahead, rental properties will become even more scarce during the construction period and this may limit the ability of some businesses to attract staff.

3. Risk to the Wedge tail eagle population.
It is recognised that the wedge tail eagles in the area will be at risk of death from the wind turbines. The EIS states that:
“A Bird and Bat Management Plan will be prepared prior to the commencement of construction to continually assess the assumptions of this impact assessment. The plan will include methods for monitoring bat mortality, acceptable thresholds for mortality and adaptive management regimes if thresholds are exceeded”.
It also says that to minimise the impacts of WTG strikes on protected animal animals, during construction, the contractor will
“Prepare a bird and bat adaptive management plan”.
Neither of these statements detail how the Wedge tail eagle deaths will be monitored during the operation of the project and who will be responsible for implementing any adaptive management regimes and monitoring its effectiveness.
It raises the question as to whether there have been any successful management regimes to prevent or reduce wedge tail eagle deaths at any wind farm in Australia.

The Winterbourne Wind Farm will be an inconvenience to many in the Walcha Shire for the financial benefit of a few.

The world and Australia is facing an existential question around climate and energy as the world's population grows at an ever increasing rate. We have an urgent requirement to transition from fossil fuel to slow climate change. The last few years in Australia have been a series of drought, fires and floods. Wind energy is far cheaper than new fossil fuel generation, with none of the air, water, and land pollution associated with burning coal. This project will potentially service 375,000 homes. Furthermore this project will bring much needed jobs and also help provide expertise that as a country we desperately require.

I live on a cattle property about 6 kilometres out of Walcha. I married a third generation farmer in 1979, and have a daughter who lives in Tamworth which is about an hour from us, and one son who lives on our Property. I am very concerned about the Winterbourne Wind Project which will have 119 Huge wind turbines (230 metres high, not yet seen in Australia, Sydney tower is 309 metres high) running adjacent to the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park! the ecological impact will be disastrous , and also aeirial support to fight fires will be greatly effected. The wedgetail Eagles are very prone to bird strike , and there are a large amount of them in this area. Walcha is known for it's bush walking and peaceful surrounds, and various species of wildlife--Koalas, Bats, Eagles, Glossy black cockatoo's and white throated Needle Tail bird. Their habitat will be partly destroyed with the construction.
The New England is known for its agriculture and breeding of sheep and cattle and is prime grazing country and I feel this will all change, if the proposed further projects by Walcha Wind are allowed to go ahead. It will totally decrease the land value here and will impact the generations coming through and as for the town!! Walcha will suffer badly with many hold ups with the 288 trucks per day during the 11-month peak time of construction, and many will put off going to town to spend money and find other places to shop eg. Gloucester, Armidale and Tamworth for those who live out of town? Total congestion for all trying to go to town, or through our town to get to other places, with stop go etc. --the roads are not built for this and will suffer badly. I go to town every day, and also go in for different activities which will be impacted if a 10 minute trip max, becomes one hour or so, and also travel to Tamworth at least once a week, for various reasons, medical, car service and others including seeing my three grandchildren and helping my daughter.
This hour long trip may turn into 2 or more hours one way! Then the road to Port Macquarie is going to be badly effected as well , we have many tourists going there and also locals daily.
I cannot imagine the side effects on people's health, both physically and mentally--it may mean many will have to leave Walcha . It is already having an effect on this, just with the worry of our beautiful, pristine high country haven being destroyed. Many are suffering due to the way it was handled and not being told up front how it will change our town and landscape, and everyday living, so Very Worrying! We live in such a large country, it seems wrong to put the turbines on and next to valuable farming land, when they could be erected in the out back away from the residential areas and out of sight, I do hope the whole project can be stopped to save our quiet, healthy country life, that we all love and chose to live in. Thankyou.

Please see attached.
Clearly there is no social license for this proponent and/or project.

This company operates livestock operations on Myamba at Walcha.
We strongly support the project for the following reasons:
1.Diversified and stable source of income to the business. We have seen droughts and commodity price collapses in the past. The turbine host payments will improve the resilience and viability of our farming business without impacting productivity.
2. As a result we forecast increased farm employment opportunities for family members and /or other local farm workers on our farm.
3. The community benefit fund will inject much needed funds into Walcha community services. $1 million up front then $750000 p.a. indexed to cpi will lead to better quality projects and improved amenities for all - not just landholder turbine hosts.
4.Improved employment opportunities for local businesses and perhaps new business opportunities and skills/education as a result of the project. This is especially the case during the construction phase.
5. Attracting more young people into the Walcha district as a result of increased job opportunities. The Walcha demographic has a high proportion of older residents and we need to attract more economic activity to improve the resilience and sustainability of the Walcha district.
6. Improved roads and infrastructure in the Winterbourne area. This will benefit efficiency and productivity of our farm operations e.g truck/vehicle access.