Maurice Newman and fossil fuel front group stop New South Wales wind farm
Protests stop wind farm plan BY:HARRY EDWARDS The Australian July 08, 2013 A LARGE wind farm proposed for near Goulburn in NSW has been shelved after protests from local landholders including Maurice Newman, the former head of the Australian Securities Exchange who has been anointed to chair a new business advisory council if the Coalition wins this year’s federal election.
The planning application for the 100-turbine Golspie wind farm, lodged by renewable energy developer Wind Prospect CWP, lapsed last week, with the company citing “wind resource, land security and grid connection issues”.
Mr Newman, who opposes wind farms and has pledged to lobby against subsidies for them, argues that fluctuations in output from renewable energy sources have increased power costs for consumers by requiring the construction of expensive backup generators.
Mr Newman belongs to Landscape Guardians, a community lobby group that actively campaigns against all wind farms in the Upper Lachlan shire, where he owns land. In January Tony Abbott announced that Mr Newman — appointed by the Howard government to chair the ABC — was his choice to head a new business advisory council for a Coalition government……
Labor’s Renewable Energy Target aims to have 20 per cent of electricity generated from renewable sources by 2020. The Coalition intends to review the RET next year if it wins the election, and could rely on Mr Newman’s advice to scrap the target.
Climate Change Minister Mark Butler said the system was working. “Labor stands by our unprecedented investment in clean, renewable energy which is driving a transformation of the Australian economy with a 30 per cent increase in renewable energy generation in the last 12 months and a 7 per cent drop in carbon pollution in the national electricity market,” he said……. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/climate/protests-stop-wind-farm-plan/story-e6frg6xf-1226675644019
Another wind farm for New South Wales’ Upper Lachlan
Plans for Upper Lachlan windfarm http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-01/plans-for-upper-lachlan-windfarm/4790626 Natalie Whiting Jul 1, 2013 There are plans to set up another wind farm in the Upper Lachlan Shire Council area. Newtricity is proposing to build up to 40 turbines at the proposed Biala Wind Farm, outside Crookwell.
The 30 million dollar project would be spread over two adjacent sites. Two options have been identified to connect the windfarm to an existing electricity terminal.Newtricity says it could connect to the existing Goulburn to Yass transmission line or to the line being used by the near by Gullen Range wind farm, which is being constructed.
The development would also involve building a substation and control buildings on site.The company’s submitted its proposal and its preliminary environmental assessment to the Department of Planning.
New New South Wales wind farm at Gullen Range
EnergyAustralia signs PPA for Gullen Range wind farm REneweconomy, By Sophie Vorrath on 27 June 2013EnergyAustralia has signed a Power Purchase Agreement with the China-based developer of a 165.5MW wind farm in NSW, to buy electricity and renewable energy credits generated by the 73-turbine project.
The Australian utility announced its latest PPA for Goldwind Australia’s Gullen Range wind farm on Thursday, hot on the heels of news that Boco Rock – another NSW wind farm EnergyAustralia is supporting through a PPA – has reached financial close.
Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co – China’s largest wind turbine manufacturer, and second largest globally – will use a mix of its 1.5MW and 2.5MW permanent magnet direct drive (PMDD) turbine technology for the Gullen Range project; the company’s largest outside China and the first in Australia to use Goldwind’s “next generation” 2.5MW turbine.
Gullen Range, located in the NSW Southern Tablelands, is currently under construction, with the first export of electricity generated by the wind farm slated for late 2013.
EnergyAustralia’s group executive manager of energy markets, Mark Collette, said this latest PPA was strong evidence of the utility’s intention to pursue investment in renewable energy in order to meet the its obligations under the federal government’s Renewable Energy Target……http://reneweconomy.com.au/2013/energyaustralia-ppa-wind-farm-75104
Australia’s wind generation is cost effective, says International Energy Agency
Renewable energy use gaining worldwide:IEA http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/breaking-news/renewable-energy-use-gaining-worldwideiea/story-e6frg90f-1226670621465 AAP June 27, 2013 RENEWABLES like solar and wind power represent the fastest-growing source of energy generation and will make up a quarter of the global power mix by 2018, the International Energy Agency IEA says.
The IEA said that in 2016 renewable energy will overtake natural gas as a power source and will be twice that of nuclear, and second only to coal as a source of power.
The growth of renewables has been bolstered by increased competitiveness with conventional energy.
It is “a bright spot in an otherwise bleak assessment of global progress towards a cleaner and more diversified energy mix,” said IEA Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven.
The report listed Australia as one of several countries where renewable energy was becoming more competitive.
It said Australian wind generation is cost-effective next to new coal and gas-fired plants with carbon pricing. Continue reading
Anti wind farm lobby has not given up, on King Island wind project
Clean Energy Council policy director Russell Marsh said scaremongering by groups such as the “deceptively-named” Australian Environment Foundation created stress and division in the communities they claimed to be helping.
“There are more than 200,000 wind turbines at wind farms all over the world, many of them much closer to people’s houses than is possible under Australia’s strict planning regulations,” Mr Marsh said.
Wind farm issue smolders The Mercury HELEN KEMPTON | June 26, 2013 THE mood on King Island is still tense as residents mull over news Hydro Tasmania will move on to the next stage of its proposal to build a 200-turbine wind farm.
Mayor Greg Barratt said the community was still fiercely divided on the issue and he did not expect that division to ease any time soon.
Hydro Tasmania expects it will take two years to conduct a feasibility study into its $2 billion wind project, which will need outside investment. Cr Barratt said he hoped the community could come back together as it learned more about the project.
“I encourage people to quieten down and take a deep breath and see what the feasibility study brings,” he said “I understand the ‘no’ people are very disappointed that the study is going on despite Hydro Tasmania not quite achieving the 60 per cent support they were seeking.”
A poll of residents and off-island property owners on whether Hydro Tasmania should take the project to the feasibility stage showed 58.77 per cent were in support. The company’s board decided that was close enough to proceed.
More than 400 people who were eligible to have their say did not bother…………….. Continue reading
King Island resists anti-wind propaganda, votes for wind farm feasibility study
King Island community votes ‘yes’ to wind farm feasibility, rejects scare campaign http://yes2renewables.org/2013/06/24/king-island-community-votes-yes-to-wind-farm-feasibility-rejects-scare-campaign/ June 24, 2013 by Leigh Ewba In 2012, King Islanders were trusted to determine the fate of a proposed wind farm. Today, the results of a community vote are in.
Despite an anti-wind energy scare campaign backed by wealthy NIMBYs and big PR, the community has voted for a wind farm feasibility study. The result shows that King Islanders won’t be fooled by anti-wind energy spin.
TasWind, the firm proposing a 600MW wind farm for the island, has won community backing for a feasibility study. It gave the feasibility study the green light at a press conference in Hobart. The two-year feasibility study will examine the economic, technical and environmental aspects of the wind farm proposal. The community will now be able to get all the information to needed to make an informed choice about the wind farm proposal.
King Islanders, who have lived with wind turbines for a decade and a half without complaint, have dismissed absurd claims of ‘wind farm noise disease’. Now it’s time for the anti-wind energy campaign accept the community’s endorsement of a feasibility study and end its divisive campaign. Yes 2 Renewables have visited King Island several times in 2013 to observe the community consultation process. It’s apparent to us that the wind farm proposal has the potential to transform the King Island economy for the better. It can diversify the economy as it struggles in the wake of the closure of an abattoir, shrinking population and increased shipping costs.
The King Island community’s decision will put the island on the radar of new economy firms such as Google, Facebook and Apple, who are seeking renewable energy of the scale proposed by TasWind to power data centres. The island has the opportunity to become a truly clean, high-tech economy, mixing it’s renowned dairy and meat industry of today with clean renewable and web-based economy of the 21st Century.
A win for wind in Victoria – Coonooer Bridge community wind farm
Finally! First new wind farm approved under Baillieu’s anti-wind laws http://yes2renewables.org/2013/06/21/finally-first-new-wind-farm-approved-under-baillieus-anti-wind-laws/ 21 June 13, The Victorian Wind Alliance has today welcomed the approval of a new wind farm project near Bendigo – the first since the Baillieu anti-wind laws were passed.
The Coonooer Bridge wind farm – a small five-turbine project – was approved by the Buloke Shire Council overnight, the first to be approved since former premier Ted Ballieu’s restrictive laws were introduced in 2011.
Victorian Wind Alliance state coordinator Andrew Bray said that Victoria should be approving many more wind farms.“These laws were costing the state billions in investment, thousands of manufacturing jobs and income for regional farmers and communities.
“It’s great that we are going to have a new wind farm near Bendigo, as it would provide certain and steady income to a regional community and clean renewable energy.“The project will combine community and corporate ownership and is part owned by the local community which means the profits will stay in the community.
“There are 30 owners to the new wind farm – and the turbines will benefit not only those whose land the turbines rest, but on rest of the community who are part owners of the site.
“There are communities like this one around Victoria who would love to take advantage of the wind to make energy and money. “Community owned wind power is hugely popular in Europe and could work well for Victorian communities.
“However it is disappointing that other communities cannot realise these benefits because of the current Baillieu anti-wind laws.“Many people around the state are calling for farms in their area, and all the investment, income and employment that comes with it,” said Mr Bray.
Don’t underestimate the clever tactics of the anti wind farm lobby
Disciplined and on-message, wind farm opponents are a force to be reckoned with The Conversation, Will J Grant, 19 June 13, “…Much of the reporting of the rally has talked of it as a failure…..I’m not so sanguine……This rally showed skilled political organisation, connected directly with key on-the-ground communities. You could describe Stop These Things as an astroturf organisation guided by skilled political operators in the Institute for Public Affairs, in turn connected with a wider array of anti-environmental industries. Many others have done so, and I don’t particularly care to add to that discussion here. (Indeed, critiques like this are often used in precisely the wrong way: to damn the group in their potential supporters’ eyes, rather than change our own behaviour. The potential supporters of Stop These Things couldn’t care less about the IPA.)
What I do want to say is that those in favour of renewables should recognise groups like Stop These Things for the skilled – and dangerous – political operators they are.
In essence, the anti-wind turbine movement already has the near ineluctable force of nimbyism on its side: I don’t want them near me because they make me sick/ruin my sleep/kill birds I like/ruin my view/trample the lands of my ancestors/make me pee funny/make my neighbour rich. (Scientific friends, please note that I am making no argument about the veracity of these claims, except to say that those who believe such things certainly do believe such things). Stop These Things is now adding a layer of networking, guidance, strategic support and, potentially, funding.
You could call this nimbyism 2.0 … Or you could just call this just another strand of modern environmental political activism.
Here’s the thing: unless those in favour of wind turbines recognise and deal with this threat, networks like Stop These Things will add significantly – and perhaps ruinously – to the risk profile of every potential wind farm development….. http://theconversation.com/disciplined-and-on-message-wind-farm-opponents-are-a-force-to-be-reckoned-with-15258?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest+from+The+Conversation+for+20+June+2013&utm_content=Latest+from+The+Conversation+for+20+June+2013+CID_06ee2f136721194be78210c407225a91&utm_source=campaign_monitor&utm_term=Disciplined%20and%20on-message%20wind%20farm%20opponents%20are%20a%20force%20to%20be%20reckoned%20with
Senator NIck Xenophon missing amongst anti wind political stars
Wind taken out of protesters’ sails in Canberra Independent Australia 19 June 13 Callum Davidson and deputy editor Sandi Keane report from Melbourne and Canberra on a tale of two cities and three rallies — or rather two and a sorry fizzer “…….Other speakers at the event included a few rogue MPs – Liberal Senator Chris Back and retiring National Senator, Ron Boswell, DLP Senator John Madigan – as well as local Indigeneous elder, Shane Mortimer, and Alan Moran of Australia’s climate skeptic factory, the Institute of Public Affairs. The much-touted Nick Xenophon was nowhere to be seen having made his non-appearance decision quite clear yesterday on his Facebook. Seems Independent Australia was one of the few in the media who bothered to check. Organisers of the antis, Stop These Things, didn’t and still trumpeted his attendance on its website. That’s the problem when you’re so secretive. No-one knows how to contact you. Senator Xenophon’s media adviser, Sharon Smith, certainly didn’t know who Stop These Things were, who funded them or where they were based when she spoke to Independent Australia earlier in the week….http://www.independentaustralia.net/2013/politics/wind-taken-out-of-protesters-sails-in-canberra/
Canberra rally calls for more renewable energy
Canberra protests for and against wind farms ABC News, By Mary Lloyd 18 June 13, “…….Supporting wind farms On the other side of Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra’s city centre, environmental campaigners addressed hundreds of supporters.
Greens Leader Christine Milne called for the move to renewable energy to be sped up, and dismissed claims that wind farms caused health problems.
Green groups say there is no scientific evidence that wind farms lead to health problems.Leigh Ewbank of Friends of the Earth says there are 19 reviewed studies that show that wind farms don’t cause adverse health impacts….. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-18/canberra-protests-for-and-against-wind-farms/4763294?section=act
Confusion over Victorian Waubra Wind Farm, at small anti wind power rally
Canberra windfarm protesters demand end to ‘renewable energy scam’ Lenore Taylor, political editor guardian.co.uk, 18 June 2013 Radio presenter Alan Jones acknowledges turnout of around 150 demonstrators was lower than expected Three Coalition politicians and one candidate attended the “wind power fraud rally” in front of parliament house on Tuesday where around 150 protesters called for the abolition of the renewable energy target and a ban on all new windfarms.
Signs at the rally urged: “Stop the wind power fraud,” and referred to a “renewable energy scam”, insisting that “wind farms wreck health and jobs”,…..Protesters at the rally asserted that windfarms were “fraudulent” because, they claimed, two of them in Victoria, including the Waubra windfarm, were not compliant with their permit conditions.
But Liberal senator Chris Back acknowledged he had been alerted by wind company Acciona to a letter sent to politicians from the Victorian department of planning and community development stating that “the minister for planning has not determined whether the windfarm is or is not compliant with the relevant planning permit”. It said: “The minister or the department have never stated that the Waubra Wind Farm is not compliant with the planning permit. It cannot be assumed or inferred from the departmental advice that Waubra Wind Farm is not compliant with the relevant planning permit and I seek your co-operation in correcting the public record.”
Back insisted that the state planning minister, Matthew Guy, had told parliament differently and said he would get to the bottom of the discrepancy.http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/18/canberra-windfarm-protesters-renewable-energy
A new community windfarm- breakthrough in Victoria
“We wanted to spread financial benefits beyond the landowners, and we’ve done that through share ownership scheme,”
Vic wind farm breakthrough, with pioneering share structure, REneweconomy, By Giles Parkinson 12 June 2013 A small 5-turbine wind farm project with an innovative share ownership model has become the first wind energy project in the state of Victoria to receive council approval in recent years.
The application for the Coonooer Bridge wind farm – with 5 turbines of up to 150m tall to be built near the locality of the same name north-west of Bendigo – was approved by the Buloke Shire Council on Wednesday night.
It is a notable project for several reasons. It is the first wind farm proposal to gain approval from a council in the state since former Premier Ted Baillieu introduced restrictive planning policies in 2011. And the project –located between the towns of Charlton and St Arnaud, about 90 km northwest of Bendigo – is also the first in Australia to find a way to combine corporate and community ownership, and the first renewable energy project in the country with an ownership structure that includes the local farming community in this way.
In all, 30 owners of property sited within 3kms of the planned wind farm have been offered shares, including one family with turbines on their land. All have taken up the offer, despite the concerns about wind energy of some. Windlab, a spin-off from the CSIRO which has developed an expertise in identifying strong wind resource areas, retains the majority stake. Continue reading
Can’t have cheap clean wind energy causing fewer people to play golf, can we now?
King Island’s golf, turbine debate KING Island’s TasWind project is becoming a debate about golfing tourism versus wind energy, Weekly Times Now, Shannon Twomey | June 11, 2013 But the Cape Wickham project, one of the golf courses proposed for the island, is sick of being associated with the anti-wind farm movement.
The TasWind project is a 200-megawatt wind farm proposed for King Island by the state-owned company Hydro Tasmania, with voting on the project’s feasibility study currently taking place. There are two new, world-class golf course projects occurring on the island – Ocean Dunes and the Cape Wickham project.
Oceans Dunes director Graeme Grant stated his concerns over the TasWind project in April and Cape Wickham were labelled as having the same view point. Darius Oliver, a consultant for the Cape Wickham golf project has said that the company are frustrated by the fact that somehow the Cape Wickham project is associated with the anti-wind farm movement……
Mr Oliver’s frustration comes as the results from an independent study conducted by CH2M HILL, comparing growth forecasts for King Island both with and without the wind farm, were released.
The study factored in likely tourist numbers with the development of the two new golf courses and found significant growth would occur under both scenarios. However that growth was likely to be $36 million less with the wind farm in the period until 2044.
Friends of the Earth and Yes 2 Renewables spokesperson Leigh Ewbank said it was important to set the record straight, that only one of the golf courses is opposed to the TasWind project. http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2013/06/11/573268_latest-news.html
Examining rural communities’ attitudes to wind farms, in New South Wales
Wind co-op to study community attitudes http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-11/wind-co-op-to-study-community-attitudes/4745110 Melinda Hayter Jun 11, 2013 The Central New South Wales Renewable Energy Cooperative which wants to buy a turbine at the proposed Flyer’s Creek wind farm near Blayney, says it has a back-up plan if the development is not approved.
The windfarm application was lodged in 2008 and Chairman Pat Bradbery says the group will not be disbanded if the windfarm does not get the go-ahead. “The first is to look at another windfarm that has been approved and preliminary talks have happened about that,” he said.
“But we will then at the same time look at our other goals, which is that we really want to do what we can to increase the amount of renewable energy being used in the central regions of New South Wales.”
He says solar farms and an initiative where businesses can rent solar panels to reduce their energy costs could be considered. “Orange, Bathurst, the Central Tablelands in particular gets a quite a lot of sunlight and so solar energy is very do-able.
“Also this part of the country is high wind territory so it certainly has the natural resources that are required to produce renewable energy.”The co-op has received a $60,000 state government grant to be spent on a study into community attitudes on wind farms, and a series of seminars.
Mr Bradbery says the grant will pay for a study on community attitudes to windfarms being done by the University of Technology Sydney.”They’ve actually almost finished that.
“We’re just waiting on the final report and to run 10 seminars through the region, in which we will present the results of the research and also get feedback about what they think of wind energy.” Seminars will be held in Orange, Bathurst, Lithgow, Cowra, Parkes, Forbes and Mudgee over the next two months.
Liberal Coalition in the grip of front groups opposing wind energy
Windfarm industry fears consequences of Coalition turbine noise policy, Guardian UK Lenore Taylor, political editor, 12 June 13, Firms say they face crippling costs if forced to monitor in ‘real-time’ noise some blame for health problems The Coalition will impose new noise monitoring rules on windfarms that the multibillion dollar industry says will inflict crippling costs, provide no useful information and represent another victory for an anti-noise campaign by concerned citizens backed in part by the climate sceptic lobby.
The yet-to-be-released resources policy is set to require all windfarms to provide “real-time” noise monitoring, with the findings immediately publicly available, so nearby residents concerned about the alleged health impact of windfarms can compare the results with strict state government noise controls. The Coalition resources spokesman, Ian Macfarlane, will also try to introduce the measures before the election with a private members bill.
People living close to windfarms have reported symptoms including headaches, sleeplessness and nausea. Several residents experiencing the symptoms have given evidence at inquiries, but a recent study by Prof Simon Chapman of Sydney University found incidence of the sickness was far more prevalent in communities where anti-windfarm lobbyists had been active and suggested it might be a psychological phenomenon caused by the belief that turbines make people sick. “As anti-windfarm interest groups began to stress health problems in their advocacy, and to target new windfarm developments, complaints grew,” said Chapman. Continue reading
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