Massive wind farm planned for farmland, red gum country near Wannon river

A wind farm proposal has divided opinion in farming families who have led the district on protecting the natural environment.

Paddy Fenton on his Vasey property said the wind farm plan was “disgusting”. Picture: Nicole Cleary

A potential wind farm to cut across the heart of Western Victoria’s iconic Red Gum Country is stirring up passions within the local community.

The idea has both vehement opposition and in-principle support, from two prominent farming families with environmental stewardship credentials and is another example of how energy developments, driven by outside capital, are dividing people living among them.

European Energy Australia is considering building wind turbines in the Wannon region, to the west of Hamilton and the Grampians, which would feed into the national grid via the Heywood terminal to the south.

Local reports have speculated that a 40km area, from Tahara to Nareen, was being considered for the site, but EEA would not confirm this.

Paddy Fenton, who farms at Vasey, said the plan was “disgusting” and risked “degrading the iconic red gum” environment that he and many other farmers had worked hard to conserve.

His father, the late John Fenton, was an environmental pioneer whose Lanark farm at Branxholme featured several times on the ABC’s Landline as an industry leader.

Paddy Fenton said the industrialisation of grazing country in western Victoria was “a disgrace”. Picture: Nicole Cleary

Mr Fenton said the industrialisation of grazing country in western Victoria was “a disgrace, it is going nuts, the people who don’t vote for them (Labor governments) are just getting these things dumped in their backyards”.

“This is degrading our environment, let alone destroying roads further,” he said.

“And what about our precious Australian wildlife, the wedge-tailed eagles that soar in this region.
“They will say it will help the local economy; but they will build it and then they will be gone, but these things will still be here and they will totally change our lives and be an indictment on the whole region.”

Mr Fenton also raised concerns about wind turbines increasing fire risks.

Fellow farmer Mark Wootton – also known for revegetation of his Jigsaw Farms properties, north of Hamilton – said if a wind company approached him, he would be inclined to say yes.

He said the risk to biodiversity from climate change was greater than the risk posed by wind turbines.

EEA managing director Catriona McLeod said EEA was “investigating the feasibility” of a project “west of Wannon” but would not confirm the number of turbines.

“The project is in the early stages of development, we will not know this information until development has further progressed,” she said.

“Should the project progress, it will bring significant economic benefits to the region including a large number of new jobs, and it will help the state of Victoria achieve its renewable energy targets.”

She said a “team of environmental specialists were assessing biodiversity” and “EEA takes the utmost care to minimise the impact of our projects on native wildlife”.

“EEA will undertake or fund appropriate upgrades and maintenance of the roads used for construction of any project to ensure they are fit for purpose.

“EEA’s lease agreements include decommissioning obligations, and we ensure that funds are set aside to meet these.”

In regard to fire risk, Ms McLeod said “to date, no bushfires have been caused by wind turbines catching fire”: “The site is approximately 30km from the Grampians National Park and any project will comply with CFA requirements to manage the risk of fires.”

Originally published as Massive wind farm planned for farmland, red gum country near Wannon river