Sparks fly at Goomburra
On Saturday morning the owner of Long Neck Farm, Corie Ross prepared for a huge last day but found power to the Goomburra Valley had dropped. When he investigated, Corie discovered a phase from a power line had fallen and being live, had started a fire on a property and roadside.
Murray River group of councils advocate for community
Council leaders from Gannawarra, Swan Hill, Mildura, Loddon, Campaspe and Moira shires visited Canberra and Bendigo over the last two weeks, speaking to politicians and advisors on water management, renewable energy, housing and the funding of local government ... The latest round of buybacks was a pressing issue for the group.
Ergon calls for extra vigilance
Almost a dozen power poles have been lost in the past few months due to fires from what’s thought to have been a series of separate hazard reduction burns across the state. Energy Queensland Chief Operating Officer Paul Jordon said while hazard reduction burning is an essential tool for managing vegetation and reducing fire risks, it is crucial to exercise caution to prevent unintended electrical infrastructure damage.
VNI West land access agreements surpass 100: TCV, AEMO
Transmission Company Victoria (TCV) now has land access agreements in place for more than 100 properties in the VNI West draft corridor to allow important survey work to continue. The announcement of the preferred easement that will host the VNI West transmission line is expected in coming weeks ... "Our main objective is to find the most suitable location for the preferred easement that minimises impacts to farms and farm operations, balanced with consideration of the environment and other site constraints": VNI West Program Director Tony Hedley.
Ground broken on first renewable project in Hay
Clean Peak Energy has officially commenced construction of its Hay Solar Farm, adjacent to Hay Cemetery, east of Hay township. The advancement of the project was marked with an on-site sod turning, which brought together Clean Peak Energy executives and staff, Hay Shire Council and host landholders.
Newstead energy: Community Q&A
Close to 50 members of the Newstead community participated in a question-and-answer session about the Newstead Community Energy Project on Thursday 22 August, following the launch of the new solar farm. Representatives from project partners Renewable Newstead and Flow Power were on hand to explain the thinking behind the partnership, some technological context and the benefits to consumers for joining the project.
Renewable energy in Newstead
Newstead hosted a horde of prominent politicians, TV crews and corporates in high-visibility vests last week at its innovative solar farm. Minister for Energy and Resources, the Hon. Lily D’Ambrosio, accompanied by Member for Bendigo West Maree Edwards, visited on Thursday 22 August to officially open the Newstead Community Energy Project, initiated by locals under the banner of Renewable Newstead.
Sophie’s heartfelt message: “Stop the transmission lines”
On Friday ... hundreds of farmers rallied in Bendigo, to bring awareness to a number of issues facing rural communities, particularly the subject of renewables, and calling on the government for answers ... 13-year-old local Sophie Burke, stepped in at short notice to speak bravely about her own future as a sixth generation farmer at Jeffcott:...
SunCable receives major Commonwealth Government environmental approval for flagship project: SunCable
SunCable has achieved another major regulatory milestone, receiving approval from the Commonwealth Government for the Australian component of its flagship project, Australia-Asia Power Link (AAPowerLink) ... "SunCable will now focus its efforts on the next stage of planning to advance the project towards a Final Investment Decision targeted by 2027" ... SunCable will be investing further in communities in the Northern Territory, Singapore and Indonesia to progress the next phase.
Where’s the community benefit to industrial green energy?
As the industrial sprawl of green energy marches across the government-identified Renewable Energy Zones (REZ), Gannawarra Shire Councillor Garner Smith has renewed his call for negotiating lasting benefits from the VNI West project and renewable developments for Gannawarra residents. “Personally, I do not see an overall long-term benefit for communities like Gannawarra, out of either the VNI West power line or the renewable projects. Little to no long-term employment, unattractive infrastructure on a scale that the community does not comprehend and a benefits package that lacks detail and sounds more like welfare than an opportunity.
Calls for urgent Wind Farm Code reform
AgForce has said it is increasingly concerned that delays to urgently needed reforms to the Wind Farm Code could put agricultural landholders at potentially crippling financial risk. Queensland’s peak representative body for farmers is disappointed that despite a review of the Wind Farm Code last year, the Queensland Government has not released any reforms to the Code since.
New wind farm in north-west Victoria to power 202,000 homes: Plibersek
The Albanese Government has ticked off a new wind farm in Victoria which will generate enough energy to power 202,000 Victorian homes. The 312 megawatt Wimmera Plains Energy Facility is located 10 kilometres north-east from Horsham and includes up to 52 wind turbines connecting to an existing 220 kilovolt transmission line.
Lovell calls for review of windfarm setback: Lovell
Liberal Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell has called on the Minister for Planning to review the windfarm setback distance, after concerns were raised by Nanneella community members in a public meeting with a wind energy facility developer. Ms Lovell spoke in parliament last week to ask the Minister to review the distance that wind turbines must be set back from homes to limit the impact of noise, and consider extending it in light of increasing turbine heights.
For foreign wind and solar operators: $200 million annual windfall
"Today I read a report that struggling Victorian families are forking out an estimated $200 million per annum to foreign wind-turbine operators, largely collected through charges on household bills. That $200 million price tag will be even higher if Victorian and Federal Labor succeed in their scheme to turn Mallee into a spider’s web of transmission lines, wind turbines and blanket solar panels": Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster.
Landholders urged to make submissions
Member for Mallee, Dr. Anne Webster, has written to landholders whose farms, environment, amenity and safety on their land is threatened by the VNI-West transmission project and proposed wind turbine installations, encouraging them to make a submission to the State Government’s Developing the 2025 Victorian Transmission Plan. “I’ve just seen the map and despite earlier indications of six Victorian Renewable Energy Zones, clearly Mallee is the prime target in Labor’s sights,” Dr Webster said.
Fisheries expert shares UK lessons on how offshore wind and fishing can co-exist: BMM
Australia’s fledgling offshore wind farm sector can learn from the successes and mistakes of the UK, says an expert with a quarter century of hands-on experience in fishing and the last dozen advising offshore oil, gas and renewables industries. John Watt, Brown and May Marine’s Senior Fisheries Expert, was invited as a keynote speaker at this month’s Offshore Windtech Summit1 in Melbourne, the Asia Pacific’s largest wind energy gathering.
Koolkhan not included in coalition’s proposed nuclear sites
If a nuclear power plant that has long been touted to be constructed at Koolkhan, north of Grafton, is to proceed, the state or federal government would have to overrule a Council decision declaring the Clarence Valley a nuclear free zone. Debate about implementing nuclear power plants in Australia ignited in June when federal opposition leader, Peter Dutton said the coalition would go into the next election promising to build 7 nuclear power stations...
Victoria’s planning guidelines for transmission infrastructure threaten food security: VFF
The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) has raised serious concerns over the recently released planning guidelines for transmission infrastructure, saying the Victorian government continues to ignore critical farmer advice on planned transmission projects. VFF President Emma Germano said that while the area targeted for infrastructure development would be further refined, the current approach is problematic.
Report says delays to transmission builds are costing Australians
A new report by Nexa Advisory reveals that delays in building energy transmission infrastructure will lead to higher electricity bills for both households and businesses, compromise energy reliability and jeopardise emissions reduction targets. CEO of Nexa Advisory, Stephanie Bashir said the factors contributing to the slow pace of the energy transition were complex.
“Wind farm living”
Lyn Lenehan. It's hard explaining to city people why wind farms are so bad and why they destroy lives and livelihoods. There is a list of reasons, but one stands out the most – the loss of enjoyment of one's land ... What happens when the reason for living in a special place is ripped away?
Load shedding leaves 24,500 in the dark
Northern Rivers politicians have slammed Transgrid, the high voltage electricity transmission network operator and manager, and the Australian Energy Market Operator after more than 24,000 customers across the region were left with power last week for more than 3 hours on one of the coldest nights of the year. Power went out as people were cooking dinner at 6.20pm on July 8, in a large area from Mullumbimby to Ballina and Alstonville, and west to Lismore, Casino, and Kyogle, and didn’t return to some homes until almost 11pm.
Mitigating the disproportionate bushfire vulnerability in rural communities
Over the years, Australia has experienced several large scale bushfires, with many of these fires and 90 per cent of the associated fatalities caused by faulty power lines in rural areas, according to Professor Alan Wong, Founder and CEO of IND Technology ... The early fault detection (EFD) system acts like a smoke alarm for the power network, enabling the prediction and locating of potential fires through this Australian-made innovation.
