By Bronwyn Hastings

A Ballyrogan wind farm proposal has been met with community resistance, with a convoy of tractors, trucks and other vehicles carrying oppositional signage, arriving at Monday’s Squadron Energy information session at Tatyoon Hall.

Tatyoon district community member Anthony Brady, who was part of the convoy, said the wind farm proposal for the Ballyrogan-Tatyoon-Maroona area had divided the community.

“Our main concern is what it will do to the environment and landscape, but also what it will do to our community and the division it creates,” he said.

“We don’t need that division. There are a lot of people in the district who are against wind turbines that are 250 metres-plus tall – they are something that impacts neighbours greatly, both visual amenity and also sound and other things.”

Mr Brady said a crowd of about 80 people attended, many driving vehicles with signs attached.

“There are a lot of vehicles and a lot of younger people as well,” he said. 

“It’s a family farming district and the families have turned up to express their views.”

The proposed Ballyrogan Wind Farm, which will have up to 164 turbines and a battery energy storage system about 10 kilometres south of Ararat, is in the initial stage of community consultation and planning.

Squadron Energy’s general manager of development Alastair Smith said community input was a key focus from the outset.

“Our top priority is the local community. We’re committed to involving residents early in the process so we can collaborate and shape this project together,” he said.

“This project has a strong focus on delivering lasting benefits to the region, supporting the local economy, creating job opportunities, funding vital community programs, and leaving a positive legacy for years to come.”

Mr Smith said information session attendees raised issues both about the project, and the impact on the community. 

“People were very passionate about their area, and concerned about what we’re proposing,” he said.

“We are genuinely there to hear all views about the project. We will reflect on everything we heard.

“Our people have been working on this project for several years to get an understanding of the project and its potential and likelihood of success.

“Once we had some comfort around those aspects, that’s when we have come public, so the engagement with community beyond our hosts is only four weeks old.”

Mr Smith said residents outlined concerns such as visual impact, noise, building and planning policies, agricultural operations and the scope of aerial firefighting.

“Firefighting generally is an issue in this area for obvious reasons – they have had a pretty torrid last two years, from a bushfire perspective, so I understand why that’s high on people’s minds,” he said.

“It is still possible, according to CFA guidelines, to conduct aerial firefighting, both fixed and rotary wing through a wind farm with management conditions in place. We do provide firefighting opportunities with access tracks and fire tanks and the like throughout our site.”

Member for Wannon Dan Tehan said the division caused by the public announcement of the proposed wind farm was ‘deeply concerning’.

“The residents have been alarmed at the size and scale of the project, and the fact that, although this wind energy development has been in the pipeline for over two years, the community consultation has been left to the last minute,” he said.

“The proponents, RE Futures and Squadron Energy, should make it very clear to the community that they have made a grave error in the way they have gone about putting this proposal together, and they will go back to the beginning and start by including all the community in their initial consultations.

“There are examples of community wind farms where the proponents have gone to the community first, where they’ve been put in place successfully, rather than seeking to go to individual landholders first.”

Mr Tehan said the Tatyoon had always been a ‘wonderful, tight knit’ community.

“It is the heart and soul of the local region, and to see it divided in this way is very, very sad,” he said.

Mr Smith said the project was not made public sooner as Squadron Energy wanted to be certain the proposal was worth discussing. 

“This clearly has caused unrest and upset in the local community,” he said.

“We want to be certain there is something that is worth discussing and bringing to the community before there’s that potential to cause that unrest. The timing is often never perfect, and we can always be better, and we will strive to be better.”

Mr Smith said if the project was successful, there would be a significant and sizeable community benefits package, in the order of a million dollars a year from the project in operations and construction. 

“We also have a neighbour agreement scheme where we pay those neighbours who are closest to the wind turbines, recognising that we do cause a change to their environment,” he said.

Squadron Energy, which is Australian owned, also owns and operates the wind farm at Murra Warra. 

Mr Smith said the proposed Ballyrogan wind farm project would power around 1.1 million homes and prevent 900,000 tonnes of emissions annually. 

The project would connect to the electricity network north of Elmhurst, via a 45-kilometre 220kV overhead transmission line.

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