NSW Draft Planning Guidelines for Wind Farms

We are writing to you because you showed an interest in our proposed New England community wind farm. The NSW Government has put a draft of planning guidelines for wind farms on exhibition for community response. The proposed guidelines make it more difficult for wind farms to gain approval. We hope many of the people who came to our community forums and/or answered our survey will respond to the Department of Planning and Infrastructure regarding the Draft Planning Guidelines for Wind Farms. Responses are due by 14 March 2012 Send to: Policy, Planning systems and Reform Department of Planning and Infrastructure GPO Box 39, Sydney NSW 2001 Or email to: innovation@planning.nsw.gov.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Points to consider: 1. The need for renewable energy: without strong growth in renewable energy, particularly wind, NSW greenhouse gas emissions will continue to rise and to contribute to global warming. Crippling the development of wind energy would make it extremely difficult for the NSW Government to reach its own target of 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. 2. Wind is singled out: The Government is proposing rigorous guidelines for wind generation, currently the most cost-effective form of renewable energy, while they are not proposing guidelines for other forms of energy, such as coal-fired power stations and related coal mines. 3. Community owned projects: The guidelines ignore the benefits of community owned wind farms. Unless such small-scale wind farms are explicitly exempt, the added costs could be prohibitive for many projects. (NOTE: New England Wind is currently considering an isolated site that is unlikely to be affected by these proposed guidelines.) 4. Noise: In NSW the proposed noise limit outside dwellings is 35 decibels, well below the level in other states and overseas. Victoria, South Australia, New Zealand and night-time European standards are 40dBA, 3.2 times the acoustic power. The US and Netherlands standard is 50 dBA. Existing NSW Department of Planning acoustic amenity standard for rural areas allows 45 dBA at night, ten times the acoustic power of the proposed wind noise standard. 5. Buffer zone: Under the proposed guidelines the consent of all residents living within a 2 km radius of a proposed wind farm will be required. Otherwise a very complex and costly consultative process must be

undertaken, a process that could take months and which could be prohibitive for small-scale projects and might discourage large investors. 6. Predictions of discomfort: Distance is not the best criterion to use for measuring noise from a wind turbine. Topography, vegetation and wind direction are also important. Setting limits on noise level would make it unnecessary to have wide buffer zones. 7. Consultative process: The community consultation process is again more rigorous than for coal mines, coal-seam gas or minerals processes. The process is both lengthy and costly. This is another example of regulation that is inequitable: it contributes to making renewable energy less competitive. 8. Jobs and investment: The guidelines ignore the opportunity to create thousands of regional jobs, and investment in a cleaner economy. 9. Emissions reduction targets: Consequences if the guidelines are too onerous: If the planning process is too costly and too uncertain, it is likely that wind developers will move to other states and NSW will lose an important source of safe, renewable energy. The most devastating effect will be on small-scale projects that potentially provide the greatest benefit for local communities. Responses are due by 14 March 2012 Address to: Policy, Planning systems and Reform Department of Planning and Infrastructure GPO Box 39, Sydney NSW 2001 Or email to: innovation@planning.nsw.gov.au ---------------------------------------See the Draft Planning guidelines for wind farms at: http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/Development/Onexhibition/tabid/205/ctl/View/ mid/1081/ID/66/language/en-US/Default.aspx You can also read other submissions on this web site. Kind regards, The New England Wind Team.