Hills of Gold Wind Farm

Wind turbines require:
a minimum wind speed (generally 12-14 km/h) to begin turning and generate electricity. strong winds (50-60 km/h) to generate at full capacity. Winds of less than 90 km/h; Maximum wind speed is 90 km/h, at velocities greater than this, the turbines must be stopped to avoid damage.

The excess velocity does not appear to be a problem for this project as Nundle does not appear to have enough wind to effectively drive these turbines, (see attachment) therefore this project is another tax payer funded renewable “to be seen to be doing” politician driven fiasco: Enabling Bowen to meet his impossible alternative energy target, in the meantime, the developer walks away smiling, but the local economy suffers for the largess with the impacts listed below.

Unreliability
RE's Inability to Run the Country
:Local Economic Disaster - negative loss of downstream agricultural reliant jobs - defined as all crops above 0.576 workers per hectare as labor intensive, and all crops below that threshold as capital intensive
Global Implosion of RE.
Reliance on CCP + Slave Labour Supply Chains.
Environmental Destruction - Defiance of the Principles of ESD.
Cumulative Impacts
Toxic Waste Burden - Detrimental Impacts & Who's Responsible – this is a biggie!
Interconnector/Transmission Line Nightmare
No Social Licence
Exploitation of Indigenous People & Gullible Hosts.
Fire Risks
Food Security Risks - Contaminated Food & Water & land loss
National Security Risks

Typical wind turbine gear oils have an oil drain interval of 36 months. Advanced synthetic lubricants are proven to extend intervals up to 7+ years. You could hypothetically eliminate one oil change over 20 years, reducing costs.

My objecting submission is attached

Please refer to my attached letter

If so much money was not to exchange hands, would people still want it on their door step? It’s my opinion, The only thing “green” about this is the corruption dressed up to look like donations and monetary funding.
My concerns are in relation to Shearers Rd
at Hanging Rock, NSW. Lot 1 DP 1011216. With which I part time live at least 50% of the year by my family or close contacts that have
mental issues and riley on our property for mental health corrections. The wind farm project has potential to end
this volunteer work through blade/ construction noise, ridicules amounts of traffic area congestion and general massive degradation of the entire pristine area and destroy the very lives trying to get back on track. Who will
take responsibility for this?

In addition to the above, the sheer destruction and complete
disregard for the already threatened native habitat in the name of “green
energy” is appalling from Engie and any private or Government body associated
with the project. For example:

Native and endangered Crayfish
found only in the Barnard and Peel (High attitude) river systems are threatened
by soil disturbance and contaminated run off during rain fall events and
snow melts.

Quote: Euastacus crayfish are vulnerable to environmental
pressures as they are generally slow growing, late maturing, long lived and/or
rare. Habitat degradation is likely to be having a detrimental impact on
Euastacus species. Habitat degradation can be caused by erosion and the
clearing of riparian (riverside) vegetation. It can result in the siltation of
rivers, the invasion of exotic species and a decline in water quality. Changes in hydrological conditions, loss of
suitable habitat and increased potential for bushfire events are also factors.
Freshwater
spiny crayfish in North East NSW

The destruction of Koala habitat
to make way for roads, turbine platforms and cables after we have already lost
1000s from Bush fires should be classed as environmental murder, and surprises
me any “upstanding” and “respectable” human , company or Government body would even
consider it feasible.
Further more:
The mental trauma to local land owners and tourist
attraction operators in the Nundle area from increased road damage, Truck
movements, construction noise, land clearing visual vandalisms and wild life
habitat destruction, cannot have a money value high enough to explain the
impact to the community as a whole. Evidence of this has already begun with the
disbandment of the Nundle “Go for Gold” committee. No good can come of this wind project in such
a pristine part of an already debilitating world.
I am not against “green energy”.
I’m against habitat vandalism labelled as “green
energy”.
Jason Nester. Landowner and
rate payer of Hanging rock and Tamworth. 0488700554

See attachment below.

Please see attachment

Apart from the significant environmental impact, this project will have on the beautiful Hills of Nundle our recently purchased property will be heavily affected by the transport route. Our plans for moving to Nundle are to enjoy the friendly community and quiet village life but unfortunately, this will be seriously in doubt with increased traffic, parking issues, and transient workers coming to the area.
Kind Regards
Peter Roberts

I support the changes. Nundle needs to prosper.

I support the changes to their submission. I have enjoyed their many open meetings, plenty of community consultation and mostly the display of the Hills of Gold Wind Farm Proposal, set up in Nundle months ago.. This display shows the position of the turbines and the ridge line, top job.

Please refer to attached submission.

Please find my submission regarding the Proponent's response to the first round of submissions attached, which includes details of why I object this development.

The Hills of Gold Wind Farm ; This project will benefit our community greatly , revenue generated by this will inject some badly needed funds into our little town , we get very little help from any local authorities or governing bodies.

See attachment below.

Wind farms can and will be built in onshore and offshore locations. Will there be a different standard as to the appropriate setback of wind turbines from rural and coastal residences? If so will the discrimination involved provide the opportunity for a class action for compensation by all rural residences impacted by this double standard?
Rick Campbell

I object to the Engie Hills of Gold Wind Farm application. I wish to note that all of my
previous objections to the original EIS remain current and applicable to this Amendment
Report, November 2022.
LOCATION OF THE SITE
 The site for Engie’s Hills of Gold (HOG) Wind Farm remains a major objection to this development. This is not about the value of wind farms as a natural resource and alternative energy source, but about the considered choice of an appropriate location to build a large industrial complex, such as this wind farm. This site is completely unacceptable on many levels.
 The site Engie have proposed:
- Sits on top of the ridgeline of the Liverpool Ranges – part of the Great Dividing Range, with elevations of 1100m - 1400m, and with a 230 wind tower installed, the overall height atop the Range will be over 1600+ m.
- Has a Development footprint sitting on the boundaries of the Crawney Pass National Park, the Ben Halls Gap Nature Reserve (BHGNR) as well as the Ben Halls Gap State Forest.
- Threatens the connectivity corridor for threatened species.
- Consists of steep slopes on the southern side (the Crawney and Timor Communities side) of the Development that reach over 50% gradient in sections and have a high risk of erosion and dispersion (land slides) which have recently occurred on the Crawney Pass Road, as testament.
- Will involve clearing 447ha of vegetation with profound ecological consequences.
- The required clearing that will severely impact 17 Plant communities; 2 State Listed Threatened Ecological Communities; 2 Nationally-listed Critically Endangered Ecological Communities; 10 State –listed BAM (Biodiversity Assessment Method 2020) species credit species; 5 Nationally –listed threatened fauna; collision risk to Protected avifauna.
- Is the source of 14 primary water courses, which are the life blood of the communities, who live in the area.
- is comprised of soils that are of a Class 7/8 which are categorised as “extremely low capability land; limitations are so severe that the land is incapable of sustaining any land use apart from nature conservation. There should be no disturbance of native vegetation. Class 8 land includes precipitous slopes (greater than 50%) and cliffs, areas with a large proportion of rock outcrop or
areas subject to regular inundation and waterlogging”.
 Engie, in their original EIS, continually promoted this development as in line with the
New England Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) – even though the site is not part of that
region. In this Report, Engie have shifted to acknowledge that whilst this project is
outside of the REZ, so are 70% of of all other such developments, approved by the
Government. I think this is called “having it both ways”!
- It is also noted that Engie promotes this project as being supportive of the
sentiments of the NSW Government Treasurer and Minister for Energy, who says in a
media release dated 4/10/2022 that there is a need “to fast track plans to replace
ageing power stations …”.
-  It is hoped that fast tracking does not amount to wholesale destruction of the
environment due to panic and poor decisions made in haste, when choosing
locations for major industrial developments. It is worth keeping at front and centre
that the reasons for seeking alternative renewable energies sources is to save the
environment and to appreciate its importance in saving us from effects of climate
change. You cannot claim to be environmentally conscious by approving renewable
energy projects and, in the process, actively destroy the very environment we are
trying to save.
Required action:
 The NSW Government to make the responsible decision for our environment and
our future by rejecting Engie’s Hills of Gold wind farm proposal on the basis that
the site is highly unsuitable and highly destructive to already endangered and
critically endangered flora and fauna communities within the proposed
Development’s construction site.

KOALA HABITAT
-   It is unfathomable that we are even considering Engie’s Project that knowingly will destroy koala habitat. Tamworth Regional Landcare is creating 45 ha of new koala habitat in Gunnedah, meanwhile Engie’s HOG Wind Farm will be clearing 46.2 ha of
Koala habitat as part of this project.
-  Koalas are now an officially endangered species. NSW Government states that if we don’t stop clearing their habitat the koala is at high risk of extinction by 2050.
-  The Matters of National Environmental Significance (MNES) in their Significant Impact Assessment on Engie’s project amendment in Jan 2022 stated, that for the vulnerable Koala “…the proposed works have the potential for a significant impact
on the species, due to the removal of greater than 20 hectares of habitat… The removal of 36.44 hectares of native vegetation…has the potential to impact the species due to the removal of habitat available to the local population”. So here will
are 10 months later and with an even larger clearing of koala habitat of 46.2 ha (10 hectares more!) – I hope and trust that MNES will reject this unacceptable project outright.
-  NSW Government has set the ambitious goal of doubling koala numbers in NSW by 2050, which is the year, if actions are not undertaken it is feared koalas could be extinct in NSW.
-  The NSW Government needs to uphold its stated Pillars for its NSW Koala Strategy (see nsw.gov.au under Threatened Species), most relevantly, Pillar 1 Koala Habitat Conservation.
-  This NSW Koala Strategy boasts it is the biggest commitment by any government to secure koalas in the wild. It is supporting a range of conservation actions that will provide more habitat for koalas, support local community action, improve koala
safety and health and build our knowledge to improve koala conservation.
-  Of the range of threats the NSW Government notes, all of them apply to the koalas in the Project area for the HOG Wind Farm – habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation, climate change, disease, declining genetic diversity, vehicle strike,
bushfire and dog attack.

Required action:
 -  Call on the MNES to reject this unacceptable project outright, given its significant threat to koalas.
-  This is the time to put words into action – call on the NSW Government to reject the HOG Wind Farm, which will put at serious and irreversible threat, 46.2 ha of koala habitat and is in opposition to their own NSW Koala Strategy.

TRANSMISSION TOWERS VS POLES
-   There is meagre information about the request for “optionality for transmission towers as well as monopoles” which appears in this Amendment report. This seems a fairly major change to occur now and there is no account of the environmental impact of a much larger structure being constructed.
-   Buried in the Appendix E.6 BDAR on page is a March 2021 report on the vegetation clearance needed for the original poles. Of note is that Engie have only allowed 3 metre clearance notwithstanding that TransGrid use 7 m. Already this poses a massive difference in clearing that may be needed.
Requested Action:
 -  TransGrid is asked to comment on whether it will require Engie to adhere to itsstandards of a clearance of 7 m, rather than
Engie’s 3 metres.
-  Engie needs to provide much more detail about the impact (not just visual) of construction of towers. Information should be provided on the exact size of the towers; site transportation information; additional land clearance required, as a result of TransGrid’s response to the point above.
STEWARDSHIP SITES
-  Fact: Creating Stewardship sites does not mean that irreparable damage did not occur!
-  Fact: The Community is aware of some of the landholders Engie has approached.
Their land is steep, densely timbered land, adjacent to this Project AND already exists as part of the wildlife corridor AND was never going to be cleared due to its inherent inaccessibility.
-  Fact: Engie cannot double count this connective corridor of land as replacement for
the 447ha of vegetation corridor that the HOG Wind Farm Project will bulldoze - AND then claim it again as a Stewardship Site.
-  Fact: Double counting the same asset is not just bad mathematics it is cheating. Engie’s claim of no net biodiversity loss for this Project is a mere balance sheet numbers game – all the while there will be significant and irreversible ecological destruction on the ground.
-  Historic clearing over the past 10-15 years, conducted by a primary host landholder, has mutually benefitted Engie and this clearing has escaped any environmental assessment, making the remaining native vegetation under threat, even more
significant. DPE has been previously made aware of community concerns about alleged illegal clearing “contrary to regulations” and OEH investigations into it.
-  In Appendix E.6 Engie provide information about the Biodiversity Offset Strategy and that they “are investigating adjacent properties” where potential Biodiversity Stewardship Sites can be established. Of note, Engie’s language on this topic, sounds
all hypothetical at this stage – no certainty involved.

Required Action:
 The Minister for Environment is called on to honour and uphold the Crawney Pass
National Park Community Conservation Area Zone 1 Plan of Management (adopted
by the Minister on 8th August 2019) and protect the ecological integrity of
ecosystems for present and future generations as stated under section 30E of the
NPW Act, by rejecting the HOG Wind Farm.
 Call out and Reject the Biodiversity Stewardship Sites as the fiction they are in
allowing industrial developments to deny their ecological impact

I am a long-time visitor to Nundle; my immediate family has lived there for the past forty years and I have travelled to visit them regularly. But my connection to Nundle goes back much further than that. My Gamilaraay great great great grandmother was born on the banks of the Peel River. This ancestral connection has drawn my family back. And I, having lived on the east coast for the past sixty years, have finally found my way back home too. I have recently purchased some land where I plan to build my home on country, on the outskirts of town, now only to find that the amended route will pass right past my front door. This will directly impact the site's safety, peace, tranquility, and exquisite beauty. According to the amended proposal, significant amounts of road work and vegetation clearing will be required. I am unhappy when any vegetation is cleared, and my hope for our newly purchased block is to revegetate it with native grasses, grains, and trees, to restore the landscape. The clearing of vegetation on the corner of Happy Valley Road and Old Hanging Rock Road will have a detrimental effect on my property.
I also question whether consideration has been given to the route the trucks from the quarry will take as I couldn't find mention of the route in the amendments, If it passes long Old Hanging Rock Road, this extra traffic burden (turbines, blades, and gravel trucks) on an already narrow road, with poor visibility on the tight bends and gradients, will create a hazard for vehicles entering and exiting our property.
Additionally, I am opposed to the route along Crawney Road. It is a beautiful drive through the changing landscape of farmland, forest, and rainforested mountains. This area will be completely decimated by a completely inappropriately situated wind farm. I often go to Teamsters Rest and sit by the Peel River. It's where I feel closely connected to my ancestors, and I imagine how they must have enjoyed the site before the region was taken over by unsettlers. It really is a special place. Designated crown land, there are signs up warning visitors to Teamsters Rest not to remove vegetation or timber from the site or the adjoining forest. I find it quite ludicrous that now this project proposes to remove so much more, destroying old growth vegetation and impacting on the water quality of the river. As a Gamilaraay woman, it is my sacred responsibility to protect the waterways, our freshwater sources. The head of the Peel is critically threatened by this project and particularly by this route so I want to loudly announce my objection.
There are so many things about this project that I object to. The more I read of the amended plans ( as if they were ever really legitimate contingencies) the more upset I become. Not only were impacts on our local community not addressed, but Engie also failed to address concerns for fauna protection, as it does not recognise the endangered status of Koalas under the EPBC Act controlling provisions, or the critically Endangered status of Ben Halls Gap Sphagnum Moss Cool Temperate Rainforest. It does not address the damage it will cause to the microbat population and roosting sites.
To mitigate the increased traffic in Nundle, it is proposed to create a construction carpark. Really? Where would that be built? The beautiful historic town of Nundle, the gem of the Tamworth region, will become nothing but an ugly construction site, and will never recover. I expect that will drive visitors away from the town and the many festivals and events the community creates each year. There goes the neighbourhood.
Please do not let this project go ahead.

Please see attached pdf file of my subniossion

Corrected typo in submission letter

Submission attached

Hills of Gold Wind Farm Amended Application (SSD – 9679)
Submission in opposition to the whole proposed HOGWF. With referenced to the Amendment Report No2 dated 7th Nov 2022. The proposed windfarm clears large areas of native vegetation, which is habitat to both vulnerable and endangered species of fauna and flora. The benefits of this proposed windfarm does not stack up against the environmental damage caused. Hence the proposed HOGWF should be relocated to another site that has historically been cleared for grazing.
See attached doc