Silverton locals give windfarm a cautious nod

Barrier Daily Truth
Thursday 8/11/2007 Page: 3

Silverton residents have aired their concerns about the windfarm which a company is proposing to build near the Mundi Mundi Plains. The windfarm - set to be the biggest in the southern hemisphere with 500 turbines - has been proposed by green energy company Epuron Pty Ltd.

The company's Executive Director, Andrew Durran, met the Silverton Village Committee on Tuesday night to introduce himself, tell them what was on the table and answer their questions. "From our perspective, the meeting went very well. It is a valuable part of the process," Mr Durran said yesterday. "We're very serious about engaging with the community. It's the only way to find out all the issues. "Most people don't have experience with windfarms.

A lot of the questions asked were what we call standard questions, as they come up each time we've done this, and that's very understandable. "There was a good deal of support evident. Some people are concerned but overall it was positive." Silverton resident John Dynon attended the meeting and had a similar outlook,"I think it's a good idea. It seems like they aren't going to be building on the front ridge where the tourists will be, so that's very good," he said.

While residents had expressed concerns about noise, the building process and traffic, these were balanced with the promise of employment, Mr Dynon said. Mr Durran said he would be taking the concerns of residents on board as the project moved forward. At present there is a broad plan in place. "One thing we can't do much about is visuals. The turbines have to be on top of hills, because that's where the wind is," he said. "We have done this before. Noise is very easy to control. We can build it far enough away to not bother anyone.

We can avoid any sensitive flora or fauna easily. We will survey the area and build around it. Traffic routes can be built to minimise impact. "Some questions were new. We were asked where the water would be coming from for concrete and how this would affect mining leases. Those are things we can now look into." Mr Durran hoped the meeting would be the first step in an ongoing dialogue. "We have decided what we are going to do. We want to build on that location and we aim to do the best job there that we can," he said. "That's why it is important for us to get the information from the community that they know and we don't.

It's equally important for us to get across what we know about windfarms. People need to know what they'll be seeing before they see it." To that end, Epuron Pty Ltd will visit the city on November 28 to hold an open house meeting. "We will have Epuron Pty Ltd and our consultants there to talk about the project with the public," said Mr Durran. "By then we will have our initial draft and mock-up photos of the site for viewing and we can talk it through one-on-one with the community before it is finalised" About four months after that Epuron Pty Ltd hopes to have its final plan ready so a development application can be submitted in March.

Approval is expected to take until the end of the year, with the first turbines commissioned in 2010. Stage one will involve construction of between 75 and 100 turbines. "The good thing is that when the first turbine is connected its working and generating power straightaway. With a coalfired plant you need to wait for the last nut to be in place before you can use it," said Mr Durran.

Both the Liberal and Labor parties have flagged their commitment to green energy through election promises. Both sides of the NSW Government are also supportive. NSW needed to start generating more power in the short to medium term or face rolling blackouts, Mr Durran said. He acknowledged that the windfarm was a challenging prospect for those who wanted the landscape left unspoiled. "This is always a challenge for environmentally-minded people. We can't hide the turbines, and we can't build them underground. "There are always some negatives to a development. People have to weigh up the effects of climate change against building a wind farm on a visual area. "Everyone makes up their own mind and everyone lands on the issue differently. "I consider myself a strong environmental advocate and I do this."