June 15, 2015
Australia

YP waits for inquiry results

Stock Journal | 15 Jun, 2015 | www.stockjournal.com.au

Yorke Peninsula landholders have been eagerly awaiting the results from a federal parliamentary inquiry into wind farms.

Central YP is the planned site of the 600 megawatt Ceres project.

Heartland Farmers Group chair Naomi Bittner, Curramulka, said the inquiry was needed.

She said group members had concerns about the impact of infrasound, but their primary concerns centred on potential impacts to local agriculture.

“This is some of the best cropping land in the state,” she said.

“Wind farms could impact on aerial spraying in agriculture.”

She said there were also concerns about bushfires if water bombers were unable to fly too close to turbines.

The group put a submission through to the inquiry with their concerns.

Naomi is hopeful results will flow through.

“They have held previous inquiries which have been ignored,” she said.

“That was a waste of time and money.”

Port Vincent farmer Richard Way also placed an inquiry submission and is waiting with interest for results.

He believes wind farms can offer benefits to an area with an aeging population.

“It provides jobs and extra money, which is vastly needed in an area like this (to attract younger people to the region),” he said.

“Young people give life to the community – they play in the sports clubs, they have children that go to kindergarten and keep the schools open.”

He said there were also benefits for the agriculture sector with turbines providing a regular income for landholders.

This money would then flow through to the community.

Richard had travelled to the existing wind farm at Wattle Point near Edithburgh, which allayed any concerns he may have had about the issue of noise frequency.

“I would’ve thought if there was a public health issue it would have popped up at Edithburgh by now,” he said.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2015/06/15/yp-waits-for-inquiry-results/