Quill, The Buloke Times

A meeting was held at Birchip Leisure Centre on Tuesday, to listen to guest speakers discuss renewable energy infrastructure being constructed in the area.

Anne Webster, Gerald Feeny, Glenden Watts, Barry Batters and Di Lehmann attended to discuss the issue of renewables coming into the area, the construct company Cubico moving into Curyo West with idea of developing 100 to 200 wind turbines and the ramifications it might have on landholders and the community, should it go ahead.

Federal Member for Mallee and Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health, Anne Webster, first addressed the assembly saying that the number in attendance during cropping was indication itself of the importance of the issue. Attending protests and organising meetings with ministers to try to get some straight answers, Anne has been actively supporting opposition to the renewable energy race through the regions, which starts at Federal Government under Chris Bowen, and is being railroaded through National seats. 

Though in opposition to the renewable energy push, Anne Webster is not opposed to the much needed changes in the energy infrastructure, but the process in which it is being carried out. 

“We understand whether we like Net Zero 2050 or oth- erwise, that there is a transi-tion that’s occurring across the world,” said Anne.

“We [the Nationals] believe that this should be done in a methodical, rational and doable way, which does not harm our communities.”

“What concerns me, is that this is a huge investment that should take time, needs to be thoroughly and thoughtfully done – it’s not happening that way. 

“Instead they’re coming and pitting neighbour against neighbour, whether it be wind turbines or transmission lines; whatever the projects are, the government is deaf to whole communities.”

Communities divided

Since the government developed its renewable energy zones stretching across large areas of regional Victoria in every direction of the compass, communities have been divided along the way. Farmers, landholders and whole communities were left out of the decision as to where to erect the infrastructure needed to “rewire the nation”.

The next speaker, Gerald Feeny, agreed, saying that those affected are receiving “notification not consultation”.  Gerald is from the Gooroc area and is well-educated on the issues, particularly the VNI West Transmission Line. He explained the nature of the corporations behind the process, using the numerous acronyms for the many Government bodies and organisations involved, starting with AEMO and TCV.

With so many different organisations involved, it is no wonder transparent and clear answers are so hard to find. Gerald’s own personal experience was after reading the “Weekly Times” around March of last year and discovering his land was under a powerline – and no one knew how it had happened.

“This is the way they operate,” he said.  “You don’t know until it’s announced; you get announcements in the media, that’s how you get informed.”

Net zero

Net Zero is being driven by targets set that the Federal and State governments have signed off on, assigning AEMO the role of planning – and, in Victoria, an extra role of organizing and running the transmission lines.

When AEMO was first deciding the route of the interconnector line, many different options were considered, resulting in the Option 5A being proposed; however, at no point were the affected farmers engaged in the process.

Recently, Gerald Feeny and some of his associates attended the Victorian Energy Market Outlook Conference, where in two hours of discussion they did not hear farmers, farming or agriculture mentioned once – those most greatly impacted by the transition to renewable power were not even spoken of.

“They couldn’t have insulted us more if they tried,” said Gerald. 

The ramifications of turbines and transmission lines and the impact on people’s lives, the way they farm and the way they live has barely been considered and everyone at the meeting was encouraged to do their research before signing anything.

At 280m tall, these turbines will be visible beyond the curve of the earth. That means that anyone within a 60-70km radius will have their view impacted. The noise of the turbines also needs to be considered in an area highly regarded for its peace and quiet.

Implications

There will be legal and financial implications you may not have considered; changes to land use, land value, insurance, income tax as well as so many other individual situations that will only be revealed as they are uncovered in the process. 

Land value drops by 30% with the turbine proposals alone, and that is without considering what happens at the end of the turbine’s lifespan. It is at an estimated $600,000 cost to decommission each turbine at the end of its life cycle, and that cost will be the responsibility of the landholders.  And should the construction companies default, what happens to the structures?

Under transmission lines and turbines, farmers will be likely operating under permit, with that area of land under government control. Once in that gazetted area, boundaries can be then moved without consultation. 

“So if you think you’re not impacted by the transmission lines now, just wait, you soon will be,” said Gerald.

And any turbines erected will need to be plugged into the system, which means additional transmission lines, substations and battery storage for uninterrupted power flow. Where will all of this infrastructure be put if not on neighbouring properties, whose owners were opposed to the project in the first place?

Costs and alternatives

Comparative options were also discussed at the meeting, such as nuclear power, which was discounted as being a more costly than solar and wind farms; however, the additional infrastructure such as transmission lines, battery storage and substations required for turbines and solar were not factored into the costs. 

The Nationals favour the option of replacing the old coal stations with nuclear and upgrading the existing transmission lines to suit, negating the need (and cost) for hundreds of kilometres of new lines being built and limiting the disruption to so many lives that will be affected without consultation.

When Barry Batters took the microphone, he mentioned the closest community meetings for refining the renewable energy zones were being held at Swan Hill and Stawell, distances most farmers would find difficult to traverse during cropping season, with bookings required and numbers limited.

And while the community meetings and drop-in sessions for the VNI West transmission line  create an outward show of engaging with those affected, it seems the community feedback is not making its way back to the senators.  The consultation is how best to proceed, not how to oppose, all the while the cost of these “community consultation” sessions are being added to your power bills.

The price of opposing the renewable energy transmission falls to the farmers, who have to invest their own time and energy in fighting the process, whilst also paying for it though their power bills.

What can be done?

“So what do we do?” Gerald asked. 

What can anyone do to oppose a “fundamentally dishonest” process? He encouraged landowners to simply say “no”. Deny access to properties, don’t deal with the corporations involved and push the government to do what it doesn’t want to do, which is exercising compulsory acquisition powers should they run out of potential locations for this infrastructure. Compulsory acquisition is the fallback position and should be the very last choice because that means the social licensing aspect of the process has failed.

For those in opposition, different petitions are circulating to add your name to and show your support. The court case against the VNI West line is currently being appealed and funds are being raised to continue this fight, with a great deal of hope placed in the outcome. Should it be successful, all of these extra projects will stop.

St. Arnaud function

In the meantime, a function with David Littleproud will be held near St. Arnaud on May 23. For those who wish to know more, contact Anne Webster’s office or email Anne.Webster.MP@aph.gov.au

A range of other resources can be found online at sites such as Southern Wimmera Renewables Research Association and Stop the Towers, as well as connecting with others in social media groups dedicated to individual projects. 

Tessa Healy from SWRRA also encouraged those assembled to engage local councils as your representative body to advance your concerns further up the chain of command.

Speakers Glenden Watts and Di Lehmann finished up what turned into a long information session more detailed than this report does justice. Glenden talked about some of the implications turbines and transmission lines will have for CFA volunteers, explaining that the CFA’s standing orders are that all volunteers should remain 30m away from any easement, which would not always be easy to navigate under fireground circumstances.   Firefighting aircraft will also be greatly affected and no doubt will have an impact on equipment and volunteers from an already exhausted supply pool.

Questions

Di Lehmann, local landholder and organizer of the information session, finished the meeting up with some locally relevant questions which were directed to construct company Cubico, including asking one of the most important questions: “Where are these proposals for Curyo West so that people can see what is actually happening so they can lodge their objections?”

“Where are these notices advertised? We are talking about nearly 500 turbines with Curyo, Morton Plains, Corack and Wilkur just in this area and no information available to the people affected,” she said.

Anne Webster commended the organisers of the information session for the job they are doing informing the community and encouraged everyone to stay connected, get involved and do their bit.

“Be a part of our great democracy,” Anne said. “The Victorian State government is working incredibly hard to annihilate our democracy one step at a time, one appeal process at a time, and taking the reins themselves without our social license is not OK. We as community members need to stand up against it.”

See all the photos in the issue.

This article appeared in The Buloke Times, 10 May 2024.