July 1, 2016
Australia

Court proceedings continue over Mid Murray Council’s approval of Trustpower’s Palmer Wind Farm

Palmer wind farm debate | Emmalie Balnaves-Gale | Barossa & Light Herald | July 1, 2016 | www.barossaherald.com.au

The proposed Palmer wind farm will destroy the landscape, kill organisms and pose endless health risks to thousands of Mid Murray residents, according to Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges Landscape Guardians chair Tony Walker.

Representing hundreds of Mid Murray residents, the group is currently appealing the wind farm proposal approved by the Mid Murray Council’s Development Assessment Board (DAP) in December last year.

They are one of four appellants currently fighting against the development to an Environment, Resources and Development (ERD) Court.

Appellants are taking on heavyweight electricity company Trustpower to stop the proposed 114 turbines that they believe would have an irreversible and horrific effect on the environment.

Compromises were offered and agreed on at a directions hearing on June 2, but they were not enough for the appellants to withdraw their claims.

Mr Walker said their was no evidence of wind farms reducing carbon emissions and claimed they would never replace coal fire power stations.

He said the public were being horrifically ripped off and mislead about the “dirty big things that are not saving the planet”.

“They create noise pollution, penetrate homes, cause irregular heartbeats and nausea, and we pay double for the energy than what it’s worth,” he said.

Trustpower Wind Generation Development Manager Rontheo van Zyl said wind farms save over 1 million tonnes of carbon emissions each year, equivalent to removing 215,000 cars of the road and enough to power 200,000 homes in that year.

He said their proposal had been approved by the National Heath and Medical Research Council and complied with noise guidelines set by the Environment Protection Authority.

“The appeal does not impact our commitment to see this project through, it just means we might need to make compromises,” he said.

Mr van Zyl ensured that Trustpower had agreements in place with all land hosts for their final layout that will presented at the next directions hearing on July 14.

Mid Murray Council Senior Development Officer Jake McVicar said DAP would not reserve their approval without direction from the ERD court.

View the proposal here.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2016/07/01/court-proceedings-continue-over-mid-murray-councils-approval-of-trustpowers-palmer-wind-farm/