Winterbourne Wind Farm

I strongly support the proposed Winterbourne Wind Farm development. As we face the urgent need to transition towards more sustainable energy sources, projects like this are critical for our state's environmental, economic, and public health future. Wind power provides numerous benefits, which I outline below.

Environmental Benefits

Wind energy is a clean, renewable resource that significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuel-based energy sources. The Winterbourne Wind Farm will contribute to a reduction in carbon dioxide output, helping to mitigate the effects of climate change and protect our natural environment. Wind farms require less land area per unit of energy produced than many other energy sources, and their low-impact design helps maintain biodiversity.

Health Benefits

Wind energy has the potential to improve public health by reducing air pollution. Traditional energy generation methods such as coal-fired power plants release harmful pollutants like sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter into the atmosphere, leading to respiratory issues, heart disease, and other serious health problems. By generating clean energy, the Winterbourne Wind Farm can help improve air quality, leading to better health outcomes for local communities.

Economic Benefits

Wind farms are also a source of economic growth and job creation. The construction and operation of the Winterbourne Wind Farm will provide employment opportunities in both the short and long term, supporting local economies. Additionally, wind energy projects can attract further investment into regional areas, contributing to the overall resilience and development of these communities. The use of local suppliers and contractors also strengthens local industries.

Moreover, as the cost of renewable energy continues to decline, wind power is cheaper than carbon intensive energy sources. This cost-effectiveness, combined with the energy independence it promotes, will help ensure affordable and reliable electricity for NSW in the long run.

Conclusion

The Winterbourne Wind Farm represents an important step in the transition to a cleaner, healthier, and more prosperous future for NSW. I urge the Department to approve this project, as its environmental, health, and economic benefits align with the broader objectives of sustainability and community well-being.

Thank you for considering my submission.

Yours sincerely,
Otto Ruettinger

Australia needs more green energy.

I think this project is very good for us, so I support it.

I strongly support the proposed Winterbourne Wind Development.
As a 5th generation sheep and cattle producer in the Walcha district my biggest challenges are fluctuating commodity prices, ever increasing costs, a struggling town and climate change.
As a host for The Winterbourne Wind Project, it will provide a reliable annual income for my business without affecting the productive capacity of my farm. The community benefit scheme of $1 million up front and at least $750 thousand per annum will enable the district to access funds desperately needed that the council cannot provide. The power provided will service 390000 homes that will not have to rely on coal fire generation that is contributing to climate change.

I sincerely believe that the development of this project can only but benefit our beautiful region of the New South Wales area in the following ways:
Financial
Will help achieve the emission reduction targets
Job creation for many families
Will provide cheap production of electricity and
Help farmers with diversity of income

This can only be called progress.

I strongly support the proposed Winterbourne Wind project.
Climate change is real and is effecting my home. The project will provide electricity for 390,000 homes. This is electricity will not have to come from coal fired power stations. It will also provide my local town with a generous community benefit scheme of $750,000, this money will help the council provide money for so many different projects which can currently not be afforded. It will also mean that young people may be able to gain employment in our town so they do not have to leave to get good quality, high paying jobs.

Winterbourne Wind Farm will deliver clean energy to the whole NSW and Australia. By reading the report, it is obvious that the project team has conducted comprehensive environmental studies and performed thorough designs to maximise the benefit the projects and minimise the potential impacts to the local communities.
1) The design of the wind farm is robust. The set back from any non-involved residents is reasonable and considerate.
2) The transport route is thoroughly investigated. Most of the route will be shared by multiple major projects in the same region which is minimise the impact on the local traffic.
3) The community benefit scheme is so generous that nearly no other wind farm can match. Also, a long list of community engagement activities have been organised. The Community has been given plenty of opportunities to provide feedback and contribute to the wind farm design.
I strongly support the project. Hope DPE will approve the project asap to replace the coal fired power stations.

The construction of a wind farm in the New England region of NSW is a smart step toward a sustainable future. Wind energy is clean, renewable, and can significantly reduce carbon emissions, helping to combat climate change. It will also create local jobs, boost the economy, and provide a reliable energy source for communities. New England's wind resource is ideal for harnessing this energy, making it a natural fit for a project that benefits both the environment and the local area. Investing in wind power strengthens our commitment to a greener and more sustainable Australia.

I support the project because it will contribute to Australia, NSW and the New England in so many positive and significant ways, first, to NSW's environment by reducing pollution from the permanent generation of approx 700MW by renewable wind energy instead of from mining coal , secondly, to NSW's New England environmental ecosystems because the meticulously planned layout of the project is designed to not encroach on areas not already decimated from farmland clearing, thirdly, to New England constituents by the short, medium and long term financial and other economic benefits to landowners and the Walcha and Uralla communities generally, fourthly, because the project is a natural and synergistic fit with local agriculture (being mainly stock production) creating improved farmland sustainability, fifthly, the project is mostly if not all funded from offshore capital thus saving the Australian taxpayer more than approx $1billion. And the well drafted NSW wind farm guidelines are more than adequate to protect all local vested interests for and against the project.
This project is also far superior in many ways to alternative (and credible) energy generation projects such as solar farms (which require at least 100 times more area of farmland to generate the same amount (different kind) of renewable energy) and small modular nuclear plants say at Woolbrook (in the joyce valley farmlands, being an example of an ideal nuclear site) , which would require annually at least the whole of the New England's annual water supply to cool the nuclear plants during operations.
The NIMBY objections to this project (raised mainly by paid consultants and disruptors from outside the New England region, as well as some jealous landed gentry and swells) are so disingenuous and incredulous that they should be dismissed outright. It is axiomatic that a farmland owner should have the right to host wind turbines on his/her/its land and not be abused by any neighbour for doing so, so long as the development is in accordance with proper and reasonable laws.
This project is a no brainer as far as the ordinary reasonable person (which make up much of the silent majority) is concerned.

The Winterbourne Wind Farm project is a well-considered proposal which provides enormous environmental, financial, and social benefits to the Walcha and Uralla communities, the New England region, and New South Wales as a whole. In the context of a long-term climate emergency, a medium-term energy market urgency, and a looming short-term economic downturn, a 700 MW wind farm provides enormous benefit versus relatively short term and essentially minor impacts. The wind farm will make local graziers more resilient to drought, bushire, and the vagaries of agricultural commodities markets. It will also enable families to stay on the land which provides enormous social benefit to the Walcha/Uralla communities and the broader region. The wind farm will produce a significant amount of clean renewable energy which is complimentary to the generation profile of rootop solar, and supports AEMO forecasts of the ideal energy market generation mix. The project has been painstakingly developed to maximise financial and environmental benefit whilst minimising harm. The wind farm will provide an enormous community benefit fund and the fact that the Walcha and Uralla Councils have entered into an agreement to manage these funds suggest that local leaders know the project will provide beneficial outcomes to the communities. The project has gone through the permitting process and now must be approved so that it can be realised.

The world is facing an existential crisis with climate change caused by the rapid release over the last century of carbon dioxide from fossil fuel deposits sequesterd under the ground over millions of years. The implementation of this wind farm project is essential to produce energy to maintain our society as we phase out fossil fuels as an energy source. I am at a loss that I have to explain or highlight these incontrovertible facts. I am aware that there may be minor impacts on visual amenity and the environment but these pale into insignificance compared with the environmental devastation ad species loss that is already occuring from climate change. It would be a travesty to prevent this projects implementation.

We need industry to drive our community forward. These projects will provide revenue to our local council to support our community into the future.