Tallawang Solar Farm

I wish to make the following objections to the Tallawang Solar Farm:
• There will be significant negative impacts to the social life and general lifestyle of neighbouring landholders and their families due to the solar farm. There will be significant visual and noise impacts, and an increase in the traffic along the local roads which also poses safety concerns.
• I am concerned about the influx of workers required for the project, particularly the 700FTE proposed for the construction phase; the potential impacts of such a sharp increase in local workers means an increase in local rental prices which many of our locals now already renting will no longer be able to afford. Therefore, as has historically happened in these situations (please refer to Miles, Qld- now a ghost town), those unable to afford the rent move away and the community suffers this loss. Most of these are now valuable community members who are skilled workers, and local towns such as those surrounding Tallawang cannot afford to lose the members of their community.
• I am concerned about the influx of workers and this effect on our already struggling healthcare systems.
• There has already been a significant impact on the mental health of many local farmers and their families with regards to this project as well as the many other renewable projects within this community and the wider community.
• Our local shire, Mid-Western Regional Shire, has raised many issues which are of concern to them, and the Warrumbungle Shire has lodged a formal objection to this as well as other renewable projects.
• This project cannot be viewed in isolation; it must be considered as part of all of the projects within the CWO REZ, and the effects of such a enormous amount of agricultural land being used for renewable energy is going to have a devastating effect on the local community.

I would like to object to the Tallawang Solar Farm for the following reasons:
• The size of the project is too large for the community of Tallawang, not to mention the cumulative effects of all solar and wind projects and the transmission lines within the CWO REZ.
• There has been a lack of appropriate wider community engagement with regards to the social impacts of the solar farm.
• Concerns around the increased requirements to manage a bush or grassfire within a solar farm zone. The Rural Fire Service are unable to utilise helicopters or other large aircrafts to water bomb a solar farm, and this in turn leads to an increased risk of the spread of the fire and difficulty to contain it. I would like to note that in 1979 a bushfire burnt out 53,000 hectares of land adjacent to the proposed solar farm. To my knowledge, RES has not undergone the appropriate channels of planning approval by seeking input from the local RFS within the Mid Western Regional Council to create a bushfire or grassfire management plan for the Tallawang Solar Farm.
• 1370 hectares of productive agricultural land is being removed for the purpose of this solar farm.
• The market value of adjacent land will be severely negatively impacted by this solar farm – NO ONE WANTS TO LIVE NEXT DOOR TO A SOLAR FARM!

I would like the opportunity to discuss the abovementioned concerns, as well as many others, following an investigation by the independent planning committee into the negative lifestyle, economic and social impacts of the Tallawang Solar Farm.

My objections to this project are:
Employment for project not local.
Damage to local roads due to more vehicles using
roads whilst travelling to and from the site.
Tourist destination compromised due to less accommodation for tourists available due to temporary influx of workers.
Less accommodation available for rent for local employment.
Infrastructure of Gulgong township not able to cope with extra influx of company workers using main street and small business facilities.
Heritage township compromised with the extra short term workers using township.
The wasted use of limited cleared fertile farming land for non agricultural use.
Rural residents rural outlook unsightly and uncompensated.
No financial benefit to local residents from solar power.

It’s going to ruinin our lovely scenic views of outta Gulgong

I 100% 😖object😖 to this ENVIRONMENTALLY DESTRUCTIVE, LAND/WATER CONTAMINATING Tallawang Solar Electricity Generating Works + FILTHY, TOXIC BESS near the beautiful, precious town of Gulgong in the Central West.
Australian people do not want or deserve to have such ghastly Solar dumps vandalising our iconic landscapes, wrecking vunerable ecological habitat, destroying our visual amenity, subjecting the community to increased hazardous/toxic carcinogenic & teratogenic fire/smoke risks & poisoning our food resource land & vital water sources in the Central West.
The cumulative impacts of renewaBULL ruination already present are an absolute disgrace😢!

Rather than expanding further, they all need removing for the protection of essential life sustaining food & water supplies for future generations as the present Solar/Wind EG Works & BESS in NSW have NEVER been properly assessed for health & safety, with their harmful effects on human beings, stock & wildlife wrongly dismissed as inconsequential.
NSW DPE approvals are contrary to 'Caring For Country' & have defied all the Principles of ESD
- deceitfully ignoring the likely toxic contamination that will inevitably result.

Whilst manufacturing a load of absolute baloney in order to pedal this fudged, fake green renewaBULL religion - the scientific facts of the full life-cycle of Solar EG Works prove they are in in no way reliable, efficient, net zero emissions, secure, safe, healthy, clean, green, sustainable, renewable or part of a circular economy.
The planned Interconnector/Transmission Line - Transgrid & CCP benefiting rip-off is dead against the best interests of Australia with no demonstrated benefits whatsoever!
According to Simon Orme's IEEFA Report regarding Energy prices: Electricity networks overcharged consumers $10 billion.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/electricity-networks-overcharged-consumers-10-billion-report-claims-20221004-p5bn4r.html

With global hostilities rising & the outrageous cost of energy/living crisis already inflicted on us - due to the stupid Government's intentional demise of our own reliable coal power - which we are unconscionably being denied - & instead their forced introduction of illogical, irrational, greedy, subsidy sucking, rubbish Solar/Wind/BESS rorts that will NEVER WORK or benefit electricity consumers or the environment - this is far beyond the pale!
An IMMEDIATE MORATORIUM & INDEPENDENT FEDERAL INQUIRY IS ESSENTIAL!

With far superior, plentiful, efficient, secure, independent Australian coal, gas & uranium readily available, it is immediately essential that the Government only approve energy plans which feature FOOD SECURITY + INDEPENDENT ENERGY SECURITY = NATIONAL SECURITY - NOT this CCP slave labour Solar production reliant, unreliable, intermittent, fake green, contaminating 1.137 million toxic Solar panel Tallawang Solar dump + toxic BESS on 1,370 ha of Agriculturally productive land.

I as a nearby landholder of this project I object to this proposed solar farm.
* bio security issues.
* My view over the now beautiful landscape will be disgusting. Vegetation screening will not work as in this harsh climate it will die.
* Our community tourism will be decimated with the need for construction workers accommodation.
* No guarantee that government will underwrite a guarantee for decommissioning and revegitation.
* Compensation
* No economic benefit to our community once the proposed project if finalised
* Infrastructure and traffic and noise. Our local road network is in an horrendous state at the moment and I object to the amount of proposed traffic this project will bring.
* The bushfire risk is too great with no plans to reduce that risk. Why should our community be at greater risk than normal if a lightning strike was to start within the locked solar farm compound the fire will have a much greater hold and no RFS personal or even helicopter pilots would attempt to extinguish with toxic gases that would be present.

I object to the Tallawang Solar Farm, (SUB-51992456).
I live with 15km of the proposed project, and the cumulative effect of this solar farm as well as extensive transmission lines, and numerous other wind and solar projects is enormous. The CWO REZ has deemed our locality appropriate for multiple renewable energy projects, however this land is prime agricultural land and these projects will have significant detrimental impacts on the neighbouring landholders' finances, social life, farm management, and lifestyle.
I would like to know, the 330 000 homes that RES proposes this solar farm will supply energy to, where are they? Are our locals forced to face this solar farm for the energy to be transmitted back towards the coast? If so, put the solar farm there!
As per the 'Summary of environmental and social findings- table E.1', whilst RES estimates generating 700FTE employment opportunities within the area, these also means a hugely significant impact in the traffic footprint and number of people within the local community. This creates safety concerns amongst many others; are these workers drug and alcohol tested before the come to live/work within the community? We do not want this many people in and out of our farming land!! Not to mention the inevitable damage to the local roads that this increase in traffic will cause; our councils are already struggling to maintain these roads.
RES also states that landholders will still be able to utilise their properties for grazing livestock (sheep), which results in "agricultural benefits" for the region. RES clearly has no understanding of the need for appropriate farm management, pasture improvement and fertilisation practices to graze livestock, all of which will be unachievable if the land is covered in solar panels.
This project, estimated at 500MW, is simply too big for the community of Tallawang. WE DO NOT WANT IT HERE.
I strongly object to the Tallawang Solar Farm.

Tallawang submission.

I’m objecting to this solar farm due to its location and the impact it will have on the community and local family’s.

Following personal involvement in the existing Beryl Solar Farm project I harbor ( I believe) reasonable concerns concerning the proposal to construct this project. These concerns are based on actual experience as to the construction and operation of such a facility. As this proposal will be several times larger than the Beryl facility the following dot point observations, in my opinion, can only be magnified . 1. Required screen planting was "to be effective within three years" The former and current owners have applied for time extensions as, due to poor upkeep, what remains of the initial plantings is far from being anywhere near effective. Some five years on the only way to achieve this condition of approval would be a mass planting of semi-mature trees which would be highly unlikely.
2. Initially sheep were being grazed below the panels but it was ,unfortunately, soon realised that due to cost cutting, no guards were installed on the tracking motor mechanisms resulting in some sheep being de-fleeced when they became snared. (Perhaps the 1,370ha of native bee and indigenous food production will be more successful)
3. The condition of approval that the project site was to be kept "weed free" has not been upheld.
4. Mandated construction times were not adhered to on a regular basis.
5. It was requested that the units housing the required infrastructure dotted throughout the project be painted a more blending colour such as grey or green rather than the supplied white. Never happened of course just adding to the visual eyesore that now exists.
6. It is mentioned of consultation with the RFS regarding firefighting strategy. No RFS members will enter a solar facility to undertake firefighting activities due to the obvious threat posed. This threat will be greatly increased with the proposal to share a (lithium ion) battery storage installation with the Barneys Reef Wind Farm. A recent large scale grass fire adjacent to the Beryl facility saw erratic and dangerous ground level thermal activity. The only explanation was the affect the nearby panel installation has on low level winds. This was reported and was to be investigated.
7. In the Beryl submission it was stated that there was "no documented evidence that these projects resulted in adjoining land valuations being adversely affected" What rubbish. They not only have a negative affect on resale values but actually artificially increase the rateable value when the Valuer General inputs the excessive prices paid by Solar Companies to secure the required land. Lodging an objection to the last valuation a VG representative attended this property and immediately lowered the value because of the adjoining solar farm
8. I read that one nearby resident felt "devastated" on hearing of this proposal. I can attest that is exactly the feeling of those so greatly affected by such a proposal yet there appears no offer of any form of professional counseling to help those residents cope with such a major intrusion on their lifestyle and amenity.
9. It would appear that, following completion of the installations, there is no accountability as to the actual amount of power being produced. Looking down on the Beryl project there are regularly large tracks of panel inoperative due to mechanical failure. One such event took nearly four months to reactivate (apparently) due to replacement parts being unavailable.
10. It should be incumbent on the Proposer to provide 3D imaging of the infrastructure from various viewpoints to give a realistic view of the proposal rather than a convenient one dimensional image which intentionally fails to provide the real picture.
In closing: As Australia rushes headlong into the area of "Green Energy" to appease those apposed to other forms of power production and the unrealistic promise of cheaper power those involved fail to recognise the detrimental affect on the populations of areas being used as dumping grounds for such facilities and the greenhouse gasses created in the manufacture, transport and installation of them.

These RE projects do not provide "clean" energy due to the environmental impact at all stages from mining to the disposal of the junk including toxic wastes at the end.
Energy from intermittent sources is more expensive than base load coal due to the need for firming during low wind periods,
The intermittent energy system is not sustainable due to wind droughts and no intermittent energy should have been allowed into the grid until there is feasible and affordable storage to provide firming.

I am objecting to this proposal because it is causing an unacceptable visual impact to the neighbouring properties. The lay of the land is such that the family homes along Castlereagh highway, Old Mill road, Shepherds Lane and Black Lead lane are on elevated land, overlooking the proposed solar works site.
Noise impact during construction to the surrounding family homes is not adequately addressed.
Noise impact caused by turning panels to the surrounding homes is not known and is not acceptable
Possibility of chemical leakage from broken solar panel getting into Wlyadra creek and into Burrendong dam
Destruction of the historical nature of the town. The visual impact on the historic town of Gulgong is unacceptable.

Permanent loss of good sheep grazing land.

Increased fire risk 4 - 7km from Gulgong town. What is the Rural Fire Service Plan to extinguish fire among the solar panels?

Reduction of property values. Distress and mental health impact on surrounding property owners. My family home in Shepherds Lane is exposed to unacceptable visual impact.
Cumulative impact of large scale solar works restricting town growth and related opportunities.
No guarantee that solar panel components are not produced by slave labour in developing countries

This project is a detriment to the Mid-Western community. The direct impact will affect hard-working farmers and local families.

Please find attached submission
Regards,
Allan Sercombe

I object to the proposal on the grounds it is an inappropriate location for a project of this type. I recognise and appreciate the value of renewables, including solar, and the need to transition to energy sources of this type. However, there are two ways in which I believe this location is inappropriate. Firstly, we should be maximising the use of rooftop solar. If pursued to the optimal extent, rooftop solar has the ability to substantially limit the need for solar farms, which in turn opens up the possibility of limiting the latter to locations least suited to alternative uses. Secondly, and following on from the first point, to the extent that solar farms are necessary, these should be developed in places with minimal impacts. The location proposed for the Tallawang Solar Farm has high alternative value as land: that is agriculturally productive; that contributes to the rustic and historical beauty of the local area, which has been immortalised in the Australian consciousness by the poetry of Henry Lawson; and that helps make the Gulgong district an attractive place to variously travel to, stay in, explore and roadtrip through. I would not even say my objection to solar facilities of this sort in this region is absolute, as various regions across NSW may need to be tasked with shouldering the burden of the transition to renewables, but it is concerning that this project is proposed in addition to a number of other solar farms already in place in the local region or in development. In the interests of limiting impacts to the local area to those from existing solar farms and others further progressed in their development, I would urge that this particular project be relocated. NSW offers vast swathes of arid and semi-arid land that would surely make vastly more suitable choices for important projects of this type.

My submission is attached

Refer attachment containing our submission.

My letter is attached.

I am objecting to this proposal because there are a variety of avoidable, unnecesary, detrimental factors that would be caused by this project. The proposed project would cause an unacceptable visual impact to the neighbouring properties. The lay of the land is such that the family along Castlereagh highway, Old Mill road, Shepherds Lane and Black Lead lane are on elevated land, overlooking the proposed solar works site. The noise impact during construction and caused by turning panels to the surrounding family homes is not adequately addressed.The local resisdents should not be punished for this type of project.

Secondly, there is likely great destruction of the historical nature of Gulgong. The visual impact on the historic town of Gulgong is unacceptable. the land would also suffer a permanent loss of good sheep grazing land, resulting in increased fire risk 4 - 7km from Gulgong town and a reduction of property values. All of these factors will cause distress and mental health impact on surrounding property owners.

Finally, the sourcing of materials for this project is not ethical. Outsourcing the solar panels creates a security risk for the product, produces lots of emmisions in the transport to Australia and potentially contributes to increased slavery in the Republic of the Congo and in China. The waste created from this project is astronomical and has not been adequetely addressed.

I am objecting to this project on moral and ethical grounds, because of the impact to the land on which the project is proposed to stand on and because the community of Gulgong and the greater Mudgee region does not deserve to be punished for a lack of in depth planning for a project with severe drawbacks.

I am objecting to this proposal because it is causing an unacceptable visual impact to the neighbouring properties. The lay of the land is such that the family along Castlereagh highway, Old Mill road, Shepherds Lane and Black Lead lane are on elevated land, overlooking the proposed solar works site.


Noise impact during construction to the surrounding family homes is not adequately addressed.
Noise impact caused by turning panels to the surrounding homes is not known and is not acceptable

Destruction of the historical nature of the town. The visual impact on the historic town of Gulgong is unacceptable.

Permanent loss of good sheep grazing land.

Increased fire risk 4 - 7km from Gulgong town

Reduction of property values. Distress and mental health impact on surrounding property owners