February 2024 Update
This update was sent out via email to community members who have registered to receive email updates about the project. To see the latest project information, and to sign up to our email distribution list, please visit: kerrscreek-renewableenergy.com/contact-us/
Euchareena community meeting
Thank you to the Euchareena community for organising and inviting RES to attend the meeting on 30 January with Dubbo Regional Council to talk about the Kerrs Creek project. This meeting focused on the opportunities arising from a Voluntary Planning Agreement (VPA) with the Dubbo Regional Council and how the local community would want to see that money allocated towards local priorities.
A VPA is an agreement between a developer and Council where a developer pays a monetary contribution or delivers a material public benefit for items such as:
Public amenities or services
Affordable housing
Transport or other infrastructure
A key takeaway from the feedback was the desire to ensure that any community funds were spent locally, near the project. If you weren’t able to attend, please see attached the presentations that were provided by both RES and Council. On the back of this meeting, RES will be kicking off detailed discussions with Council about the terms of the VPA. Once the terms of a draft agreement are in place, Council has committed to a further community engagement specifically focusing on the VPA.
Project design and development application update
In response to ongoing community feedback, RES are currently reviewing the design of the wind farm prior to the submission of a planning application and environmental impact statement in coming months. This will include a reduction in overall turbine tip height to 254m (from 280m) and review of turbine layout to help minimise visual impacts, reduce impacts to sensitive environmental areas and reduce construction impacts through reductions in required cut/fill for roads and infrastructure.
The ongoing design work means that there will be a delay in our previously anticipated March 2024 submission of a development application to the NSW Government. Once we have a revised estimate, we’ll send out a project update to this mailing list and update the project’s website.
The outcomes of ongoing assessments will be discussed in detail to impacted project neighbours and will be made available to the community for feedback prior to submission of the development application. RES will be hosting additional community information sessions within Cabonne and Dubbo Shires prior to the submission of the planning application to the NSW Government.
Question…why are wind turbines getting larger?
A question the RES team has been asked quite a few times is ‘why are wind turbines getting larger?’.
Globally wind turbines have been getting larger as, at higher altitudes, wind speeds are typically stronger and more consistent. Additionally, larger turbines allow for longer blades, which further enhances their ability to capture wind energy. This trend towards bigger turbines helps to reduce the cost of energy production.
While it's true that larger wind turbines generally produce more energy, it doesn't necessarily mean they produce more noise. In fact, advancements in turbine design and technology have enabled manufacturers to mitigate noise levels even as turbines increase in size. This is due to improvements in aerodynamics, lower rotations speeds in larger versus smaller turbines and application of noise reduction technologies.