‘Jet engine’: Cheryl and Michael O’Donnell want out of Crookwell wind turbine deal over noise

Cheryl and Michael O’Donnell signed an agreement to live near the Crookwell 3 wind farm almost a decade ago. Now, they claim the noise ‘drums’ in their heads and the company hasn’t paid up.

Farmers are tearing up their contracts with green energy companies, alleging they have not been paid to allow wind farms near their property.

The standoff near Crookwell in regional NSW also includes claims from landowners that new turbines have breached noise restrictions, sparking an investigation by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA).

Landowners Cheryl and Michael O’Donnell made a deal with Global Power Generation Australia (GPGA) almost a decade ago, agreeing to have turbines within two kilometres of their property in exchange for an annual fee.

An aerial picture of the O’Donnells’ property shows how close wind turbines from both Crookwell 2 and Crookwell 3 projects are located to their home. Picture: Supplied

When the project Crookwell 3 opened in October last year, Cheryl said they were immediately hit with a “droning sound” that resembled an “approaching jet engine.”

“We just get this constant noise. It’s continuous. Like a train that never goes away” Mrs O’Donnell told The Daily Telegraph during a visit to her property.

She claimed to be suffering headaches and dizziness from the sounds, while holding fears for her husband’s mental health.

“I work in Canberra, but Michael is on the farm 24 hours a day. He’s living this every day with the noise drumming through his head. It can be like a jet engine coming over the hill,” she said.

“It worries the s..t out of me that I’m going to come home and not have a husband here. He’s broken.

“He said to me recently, ‘I’m running out of places to hide from them out here’.” she said.

The contract between the O’Donnells and GPGA states they would be paid $5500 per year once Crookwell 3 was operational. The O’Donnells claim no such payment has been made since the turbines began generating energy in October 2024.

Cheryl and Michael O’Donnell on the boundary fence of their property. Behind them is the Crookwell 3 wind turbine. Picture: Jonathan Ng

The couple have now sought an immediate release from their historic “neighbour agreement” with GPGA.

A legal letter sent on Thursday reads: “Our client was not consulted, nor did they consent to, the turbines being constructed within 1.6 kilometres of their dwelling”.

It further states that the sound from the new turbine’s blades had been recorded by residents “exceeding the amounts which GPGA are required to comply with”.

GPGA, which is jointly owned by a Spanish firm and the Kuwait Investment Authority, were approached for comment.

The company conducted its own sound tests on Mrs O’Donnell’s property earlier this year, concluding the noise was “faintly audible”, and referring to the sound as a “light thumping during ideal night-time conditions”.

Ultimately, GPGA said the sound was “compliant with regulatory limits.”

With the private company dismissing her complaint, the O’Donnells and their neighbours took the matter to the EPA, which visited the region last week.

“The EPA is currently reviewing a report on noise emissions ... and will advise both the community and licensee (GPGA) of its findings” the authority confirmed in a statement.

Noise complaints from wind energy were first raised with The Daily Telegraph during a visit to Rye Park in the Southern Tablelands.

Ron and his son Gary Veness, who live next door to a farmer hosting giant turbines, spoke of a “constant, annoying humming” which cuts through the air and can “disturb your peace.”

“I could’ve done a deal. They wanted me to. But, in the end, I refused. I didn’t want to sign my rights away” Ron Veness has previously said.

Goulburn MP Wendy Tuckerman, whose electorate now has hundreds of wind turbines either proposed or completed. Picture: Jonathan Ng

When asked about the situation in Crookwell, local MP Wendy Tuckerman warned she continued to hear stories of “corporate cowboys riding roughshod over regional communities without consequences”.

Mrs Tuckerman, whose electorate of Goulburn has hundreds of turbines in the pipeline or already completed, said she feared the impact on the bush was making it “too hard for farmers to keep going”.

“It is not working. We are going to see our landscape destroyed.” Mrs Tuckerman said.

“It’s scary. We are not looking after agriculture. Is there a future?”

Mrs Tuckerman recently quit the NSW shadow front bench after her Liberal Party supported Labor’s legislation to hand Energy Minister Penny Sharpe new Net Zero powers.

“We need someone to come out and listen” Mrs Tuckerman said.

Farmers Jim Dawson (l to r) with his dad Mark Dawson, brother Brad Dawson, and their parents Paul and Lyn Dawson on their sheep farm in Roslyn which is near wind turbines. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Crookwell is “ground zero” for renewable energy in NSW. The state’s first wind farm – Crookwell 1 – opened more than 20 years ago.

The project came with a “viewing platform”, designed to allow people to stop and look at the spinning turbines. On Wednesday this tourist attraction and its carpark were empty.

After Crookwell 1 came Crookwell 2, which opened in 2018, and Crookwell 3 which opened last year.

The wind farm tourism destination: Crookwell 1 in regional NSW. Picture: Supplied

The Dawsons – Lyn and Paul – bought their property near Crookwell in 1980. Three generations now live on the property.

“It’s sad, the landscape has changed when you come out here now” an emotional Mr Dawson said, confirming his family regularly heard the blade noise from different parts of his property.

“It’s soured relationships. It really has” Mrs Dawson said, referring to some of her neighbours who agreed to host the turbines.

Down the road, Caleb Jellicoe and Katie Frank bought a 0.4ha home in 2018 to escape the city. They now live with 270 degree views of wind farms.

“It’s a constant hum or a whoosh. You also get a flickering shadow from the blades in our backyard depending on the location of the sun. At night - we can see the constant red lights from the top of the towers” Ms Frank said.

“On the weekend when you want to enjoy your backyard, it gets to you after a while. Sometimes you can’t bear it any more. You just have to go inside. It becomes too much.” Mr Jellicoe added.

Caleb Jellicoe with his partner Katie Frank and their daughter Amara Jellicoe, 2, on their property, which now has 270 degree wind turbine views. Picture: Jonathan Ng

While residents complain about the impact of these massive structures, the town of Crookwell struggles to keep the lights on.

A high-voltage power outage on the night of State of Origin III in July saw locals plunged into darkness for several hours, according to 2GB.

In a statement, Essential Energy said: “We are progressing plans to install a standalone, auto-start diesel generator in Crookwell as a backup power supply.

Essential Energy stated that “while Crookwell is surrounded by wind turbines”, they are connected through a “high-voltage transmission network and can’t directly power the local area”.

“We’ve lost freezers, fridges – it happens all the time. And then you look out the window and see bloody turbines nearby and we’ve still got no power” Mrs O’Donnell said.