Cheap power push watered down
Touted as the biggest thing since irrigation by Gannawarra Shire Council mayor, Charlie Gillingham, the VNI West project is set to stamp its 70-metre-high 500KV power lines across the landscape and skyline. One of the project’s biggest advocates has been Gannawarra Shire Council (GSC) itself with a transmission company spokesperson confirming the only reason the project is “this far west” has been the Council’s push for a terminal station to sprout an explosion in wind and solar farm.
Nhill Lake bore update
Nhill Free Press and Kaniva Times contacted GWM water for an update on the Nhill Lake’s Bore. A new lakeside bore at Nhill Lake will replace the existing infrastructure and secure a more reliable water supply for the lake.
Southern Wimmera and Northeast Pyrenees Pipeline moves another step forward
GWMWater, in partnership with Pyrenees Shire Council, has been investigating the feasibility of extending the Wimmera Mallee Pipeline to provide water to rural properties in parts of the Pyrenees, Northern Grampians and Central Goldfields Shires.
New Legana Primary School making headway: Jaensch
Construction of the new Legana Primary School is well underway, with steel and timber framing for the general learning area buildings largely completed and preparation of the slab for the administration building now in progress ... “The new school is expected to open its doors in 2025 to students from the Legana and Grindelwald areas": Minister for Education, Children and Youth, Roger Jaensch.
Moah Creek Wind Farm reaches key development milestones: Energy Estate
The Moah Creek Wind Farm project has recently reached two development milestones. Firstly, it has been granted planning approval from the Queensland State Assessment and Referral Agency ... consent from the Queensland Government under the Planning Act 2016 for the construction of the wind farm and its associated vegetation clearing.
Supply chain inefficiencies hold back Australian grains industry: GrainGrowers
The ability of the Australian grains industry to compete internationally is being seriously hampered by supply chain inefficiencies, with recent record harvests highlighting a need for more capacity in the current network, a GrainGrowers commissioned report has found. The ‘Connecting the Dots: Improving Australian Grain Supply Chain Efficiency’ report was compiled by independent global strategy consultancy LEK.
Ribbon cut on mighty Bells Creek Arterial Road: Palaszczuk, Bailey
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey and Member for Caloundra Jason Hunt officially opened the eight kilometre extension of Bells Creek Arterial Road, completing the 11.9km link between the Bruce Highway and Caloundra Road.
Unfunded concept design includes Pipidinny Rd intersection
A concept design to extend the dual carriageway of Wanneroo Rd to include the Pipidinny Rd intersection has been completed, according to Main Roads WA. “Main Roads completed a concept design for the extension of the dual carriageway of Wanneroo Rd just south of Bernard Rd North to just north of Pipidinny Rd in 2021 however, this is not currently funded for construction,’’ a Main Roads spokesperson said.
Farmers welcome new powerline inquiry: NSW Farmers
The state’s peak farming body has welcomed a new Parliamentary Committee to re-examine underground transmission lines following strong community outrage. A recent government-dominated review into undergrounding high-voltage transmission lines ignored community concerns and strong opposition from the farming sector, recommending enormous above-ground towers and powerlines...
Stakeholders tour youth centre a week ahead of soft launch
Local stakeholders were invited for a tour of the Tennant Creek Youth Centre a week ahead of its soft opening next Friday. The Youth Centre will open just in time for the school holidays at a soft opening from 3pm next Friday afternoon with a disco, laser tag, games and action on the ninja course.
Mount Isa to host nuclear power forum: Katter
Mount Isa will next month host a first of its kind, community-led event discussing Australia’s energy future, with a particular focus on nuclear power technology. The Mount Isa Nuclear Power Forum: “What if we went nuclear?” is being staged by Katter’s Australian Party Leader (KAP) and Traeger MP Robbie Katter, who has promised a “frank discussion around the possibilities of nuclear power production in outback Australia”.
NLC tours Frances
The Frances community will soon boast a BMX track ... hopes to sell its Town Hall and pump the proceeds into upgrades at the Frances Recreation Reserve ... Those were some of the items raised by Frances Progress Association chairman Danielle Moore during a visit to the township by Naracoorte Lucindale Council...
Investors visit solar farm
The Grong Grong Solar Farm team hosted crowd equity investors and other stakeholders onsite last Thursday ... The Grong Grong Solar Farm team showed them through the site, and took time to explain how bifacial solar panels work...
Lessons from Germany’s industry
Germany's brown coal industry in the famous Rhineland region, which inspired Sir John Monash to build the State Electricity Commission using Latrobe Valley coal, still packs some punch, despite the drive towards more renewables. And the carbon dioxide being produced by the region’s modern brown coal power stations can be redirected into a number of industrial uses.
Caravan Industry Association of Australia supports movement to address rural road safety
Rural Road Safety Month urges all road users to fix the alarming issue of rural road crashes. September is Rural Road Safety Month and with over 90 per cent of camping trips regional, this is an important message.
Abandoned wind farms going cheap
What would it cost? And what is the carbon footprint of the physical effort to remove the footing of one of the many 200m tall wind turbine towers soon to be seen scattered across the Wheatbelt? ... I wonder how many of the Greenpeace activist types have watched the doco Thrown to the Wind about the whale deaths off the East Coast of the United States?
Statement from AEMO
In last Tuesday’s edition, the “Buloke Times” published a report from a reader, critical of the visit by Transmission Company Victoria to the area of the VNI West. Subsequently, the “Times” received the following statement from a spokesperson for Australian Energy Market Operator, AEMO: “The landholder liaisons were on their way to an appointment with a local landowner, who had spoken with them the previous day and agreed to meet and receive some information on the project ..."
Pasin ponders phone towers
Member for Barker Tony Pasin would prefer a different funding method than the “all or nothing” approach of Telstra’s Connect Limestone Coast project. The $40 million project involves 27 phone towers scattered across the region, each costing $1.5 million.
Regional Victorian Power Alliance visits Murrabit
It was a full house as Victorian and NSW community members gathered in the Murrabit Hall to hear from Vicki Johnson and Gavin Ronan from the Regional Victorian Power Alliance (RVPA). The RVPA was created in May 2023 after communities who had been battling the Western Renewables Link … expanded to include VNI West impacted communities.
Undergrounding report released
As state and federal governments continue their push to renewables, the mad scramble to build 10,000 kilometres of new power lines by 2030 has rural communities across the eastern seaboard not only gravely concerned about the social and environmental impacts, but also methodology. Last week, the NSW parliamentary inquiry into the feasibility of undergrounding HumeLink was released...
TMR extends consultation for north-south bypass
The Department of Main Roads and Transport has extended the initial community consultation period for feedback on the proposed Toowoomba North South Transport Corridor. The initial round of community consultation has been extended to the 13th of October.
Just get some advice!
Recently, two mature peppercorn trees in White Cliffs were removed to make way for water pipes. Shirley Evans (nee Riley), who now lives in Wilcannia, was born under one of those trees in 1937. She says, 'When I was an adult I went back to that tree a few times with Mum ... I was really disappointed to think that they'd cut that tree down.'
