A community in a regional town to the north-east of Melbourne has pledged to challenge a proposed large-scale wind farm project over the “long haul.”
The Seymour Wind Farm, headed by Italian renewable energy company Fera, includes 80 to 100 wind turbines.
Fera Director Andrew Lawson is confident the ambitious project will go ahead, and believes it will be “one of the very best projects in Victoria.”
Community Group Says No Grassroots Support
Darryl Otzen is the secretary of the Strathbogies Responsible Renewables Community Group (SRRCG) and he believes the majority of residents echo his concerns.While being a proponent of renewable energy, Otzen is concerned about how Fera has attempted to build support.
“We don’t know who precisely is in favour of the project because Fera hasn’t released that info,” Otzen told The Epoch Times.
“They haven’t released any maps saying, ‘These are the properties where we’re going to put the wind turbines,’” Otzen said, noting the issue could be divisive for the community.
“There’s still a lot of distrust, I would say, in the community about Fera.”
The Strathbogie Ranges residents are not alone in their complaints.
On Oct. 14, reports emerged that Norwegian company Equinor—along with Australian partner Oceanex—decided not to submit a formal application for a feasibility licence to build an offshore wind farm in the Illawarra region,
The zone will stretch across the entire coast from the south of Sydney to Kiama, over a 1,000 square kilometre area.
The company had previously said they would begin the project in 2028, with the turbines providing power by 2030.
Yet more than 14,000 submissions were received during the public consultation period, with an overwhelming majority saying “no” to the project. Many were concerned about the environmental and economic impact of a wind turbine zone.
Similar pushback appears to be occurring in the Strathbogie Ranges.
Wind Turbine Company Says Otherwise
On its website, a project timeline states that it wants to begin civil planning and environmental studies in 2025 and 2026, with ambitions to start the construction and commissioning phase in 2028.Fera also states that modern turbines are larger, have a higher rate of production, fewer revolutions per minute, and are quieter during operation. Manufacturers also provide a 30-year warranty.
However, current industry expectations are that turbines operate for more than 40 years.
“There’s lots and lots of work to do. But I think it’s a very good project, and we really think it’s one of the very best projects in Victoria,” says Fera’s Director Lawson, in an interview with The Epoch Times.
“I think we got one negative response [to our renewable energy survey]. But we haven’t really harped on any of it. It was affirming in terms of our own thoughts, but it’s not something that we’re disputing.
“And I think it’ll make a big contribution to the future of the state’s energy production.”
Fera says their own survey interviewed 190 respondents, who were largely in support of renewables.
Lawson countered concerns from Strathbogie Ranges residents that his company lacked transparency and community support.
“We’re very happy to go and meet with people. We’ve met with over 350 farmers over the past two or three years. We’ve met with each of the councils and each of the communities,” he said.
“We’re really keen to explain the project to anyone who’s interested.”
Fera says it has committed to holding community sessions every three months.
The company also says it wants to employ locally, so that the project’s delivery and operation provides maximum benefit to residents.
What About the Financial Benefits and Costs?
Fera also estimates the project to cost $1.5 billion for the full 600 megawatts of generation, slated to power 430,000 homes.The SRRCG has previously gone on the record questioning the $1.5 billion figure.
“Fera said back at the start of 2022 that it would cost $1-1.5 billion,” Otzen said, saying inflation would impact that price tag.
“They’re not being realistic. It’s probably up to $2.5 billion already. Where’s the money going to come from?”
Lawson responded that the final cost would come down to how many turbines would be built.
“It could be $1.2 billion, it could be $1.7 billion. It’ll depend on the final number of turbines, and the final design,” he said.
Landowners who agree to host a turbine on their property will receive upwards of $30,000 a year per turbine in rebates.
A Dispute Over Wind Speeds
The Strathbogie Ranges are a set of low mountain ranges within the Great Dividing Range, rising to 1,033 metres at Mount Strathbogie. There are over 25 vineyards located in the region.“Fera will tell you that it (the Strathbogie Ranges) is a known good wind resource. That’s debatable,” Otzen said.
“There have been no in-depth wind measurements done across the area.”
Meanwhile, Lawson says Fera has been paying close attention to wind patterns in the Strathbogie Ranges for almost two years.
“Wind streaks are excellent, and we’re very confident that it’s a great project. And we wouldn’t build the project if we didn’t think it was windy.”
Fera is also contributing $500,000 per year to a community fund to counter concerns about the harm and potential death of wildlife.
The region includes threatened species such as the gang-gang cockatoo, swift parrot, squirrel glider, Macquarie perch, as well as raptors and koalas.
“The company has got 20 years of operation projects ... but we’ll work with a number of the local superannuation funds to deliver the project, which is important to operating over the next 30 or 40 years,” Fera’s director said, noting it’s Italian operations will fund the project Down Under.
Fera is also developing three other wind farm projects, the Koyuga-Nanneella region near Shepparton, Triabunna in Tasmania, and Wombelano in western Victoria.
The Epoch Times contacted Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny, and Climate Minister Lily D’Ambrosio, for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
