Joining the chorus: Haines' plea for ministers to tour proposed solar farm

Indi federal Independent MP Helen Haines has joined growing calls for state and federal ministers to tour the proposed Meadow Creek Solar Farm site before a final decision is made. Writing to both Victorian Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny and federal Minister for Environment and Water Murray Watt, Dr Haines also aired “significant concerns” around the Victorian government's planning process. Dr Haine's call joins that of Rural City of Wangaratta Mayor Irene Grant, Ovens Valley MP Tim McCurdy and independent Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner Tony Maher inviting Ms Kilkenny to visit the site. The proposed 330MW solar farm which will consist of a 250MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) within Bobinawarrah will soon be considered by Ms Kilkenny and, if approved, the Commonwealth Government under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act). Dr Haines toured the proposed site prior to a meeting between the community and the proponents and their consultants on 5 June at the Bobinawarrah Hall. She said seeing the site in person was “invaluable” and provided clarity on the scale of the proposed project, as well as community concerns regarding proximity to waterways, biodiversity and bushfire risks. Following the meeting, Dr Haines disclosed to Ms Kilkenny in her 16 June letter the consultants had not properly considered mitigation and avoidance measures when making their recommendations. “It was clear the consultants hired by the proponents to prepare the documents that will inform your decision-making had not visited the area,” the letter read. “I recommend and request that you, as the decision maker, and your delegates, to undertake a similar tour of the site of the proposed project and its surrounds before making your decision on whether to approve this project.” Dr Haines then wrote to Mr Watt on 20 June, raising the formal objection made by governing body Goulburn Murray Water (GMW) on the project and the same invitation for the federal minister to meet with the community. GMW objected to the project on the basis that applicants have not addressed concerns around surface water and groundwater quality, use and disposal. “I have significant concerns about the Victorian planning process, and the ways in which the community continues to feel that the Controlled Action Assessment Documentation does not properly address the reasons for which the project has been classed as a Controlled Action,” Dr Haines’ letter read. “I feel the need to bring this to your attention as the decision-maker under the EPBC process.” Mr McCurdy recently raised the GMW Water objection of the proposed solar farm in state parliament, echoing concerns of local residents. “GMW’s assessment confirms what locals have been saying for months, that this project threatens the water quality relied upon by more than 30,000 people in Wangaratta,” Mr McCurdy said. “If public submissions are closed, then they should be closed for everyone, not just locals. The process must be fair and transparent. “This proposal would never pass the pub test.” Mr McCurdy wrote to Ms Kilkenny in September last year inviting her to meet with the community, which was then declined by the minister. “We all support renewable energy, but not at the expense of farming, water security and common sense,” he said. “I’ll keep standing with my community – and I call on the Minister to finally listen and put regional people first.” Dr Haines said she would continue to advocate for a Community Engagement Review with Climate Change and Energy Minister Christ Bowen, Mr Maher and former AEIC Andrew Dyer in order to better address community concerns in major energy projects. “It is clear to me there needs to be significant improvement in community consultation processes, so communities do not feel as if projects are imposed upon them,” she said. “I have been, and remain, greatly disappointed in what I have seen in the community consultation process by the proponents so far, which has been marked by little contact, and unsatisfactory responses to the community’s concerns.”

Joining the chorus: Haines' plea for ministers to tour proposed solar farm

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