PROTECT the COPPABELLA HILLS

SAVE THE YASS VALLEY LANDSCAPE FROM INDUSTRIALISATION

PURPOSE

The beauty of the unique landmark of the Coppabella Hills, between the villages of Binalong, Bookham and Jugiong, will be forever defaced should the ‘approved’ Coppabella Industrial Wind Turbine project proceed.
This Industrial Wind Turbine site will extend approx 12 kms east to west and 10 kms north causing irreversible environmental damage to the fragile Coppabella Hills.

Below is an Artist Impression of the Coppabella Hill's after the project completed, you can see the impact it will have both environmentally and visually. 

ARTIST IMPRESSION | NOTE: TURBINES NOT CORRECT HEIGHT

PROTECT THE COPPABELLA HILLS

The approved 75 x 171 metre turbines would have a dramatic and adverse impact on the landscape and will be visible at distances of 20 kms.


This Industrial site has always been a Marginal project, first developed in 2007-8 the entire Yass Valley project was recommended for refusal in 2015; a precedence was set in 2016 when the incoming Minister for Planning the Hon Rob Stokes MP split the formerly larger project and approved the Western Coppabella precincts, permitting the Whitefield Road to remain as the access road to allow for the project to extend to the original proposal at a later time. 


The project is ‘fluid’, as 70% of the Turbines require micro siting; the Proponents, Goldwind finally concede the ‘approved’ 99M transmission line cannot transmit


the intermittent power generated by the larger turbines (when the wind is blowing) to the Grid; now requiring a 39 km rebuild of the 99M, the 9R0 at a cost of $40 million, paid for as Rent over the lifetime of the project; as there is no capacity to accept any further power a new step up 132/332 transformer is also required, an approx cost of $40 million


The impact of the rebuild of the 99M on additional adjoining landowners, potentially destroying bio security regulations, is distressing and many are also impacted by the proposed Hume Link 500KV line. 

WATCH VIDEO

THE HISTORY OF THE YASS VALLEY WIND FARM

First developed by Origin in 2007-8;  purchased by Epuron in 2009


The DPE recommended the entire Yass Valley Wind Farm be REFUSED on the 5 – 1- 15; EPURON re referred  the entire project during 2015 (without consultations)  the DPE under the incoming Minister Rob Stokes , set a precedent and ‘split’ the project – ( without any consultations) recommending to PAC to only approve the 79 Turbines on the Western portion of the project on the 5 -2-16,  insisting the residents could cope  with the visual impact and the noise and health impacts would be negligible. Allowing the WHITEFIELD ROAD to remain as the access road to the entire project –to allow the link back to the eastern Marilba Precinct at a later  time.                                         

The PAC approved the western portion, the Coppabella Precincts on the 30-3-16.


WITHOUT ANY PUBLIC  MEETINGS

The PAC received an Apparent Breach of Code of Conduct from the Auditor General in January 2017--   re: Decisions made during 2016 –     No Inquiry ??                                                                                 

GOLDWIND purchased the entire project in February 2017, immediately applied for VARIATION TO CONDITIONS  ATTACHED TO APPROVAL; with Approved Action: The Construction and Operation  and eventual decommissioning of a WIND FARM of up to 126 TURBINES , this would allow access back to the Marilba Precinct for a further extension of the project.                                                                                 


GOLDWIND then made application for a significant modification, increasing the height of the Turbines from 150 to 171 metres and  Blade length to 70 metres. 


The DPE in 2018  (Minister Anthony Roberts)  then recommended the proposed modification of the Coppabella Wind Farm  to the new IPC for approval---completely ignoring  the 85 submissions lodged OBJECTING to the project.         


The IPC,  completely ignoring the impassioned speakers and not bothering to look at the short power point presentation at the Public forum held in Yass, followed by  a site visit accompanied by the Proponent the following day in November 2018, APPROVED the Modification on the 10th December 2018.  The proposed  NSW Government review of the IPC in September 2019, has not been disclosed. 


The approval granted was to connect 75 Turbines to the Grid via the existing 99M transmission line by re appointed (Minister Rob Stokes);  the Proponent finally conceded the 99M is not sufficient to support the Grid and are now financing TransGrid to rebuild a 39 km double circuit transmission  line, the 9R0 and construct a new transformer at the Yass TransGrid  Site at a cost of $40 million. The new 9R0 line was NOT the approved connection to the Grid. TransGrid stated ‘should the CWF not proceed’ the new 9R0 would not be built 


Goldwind PREMATURLEY CLEARED 3 HBT plus 10 mature trees on the Whitefield Road , the day prior to attending the Coppabella CCC meeting on the 22-8-19, confirming (recorded in the Minutes) the project cannot  commence  until the agreement is signed with TransGrid.  


HOW WAS THIS PROJECT EVER APPROVED???   

From  2009/13 the OE&H have continually assessed the ACCESS  ROAD, the WHITEFIELD ROAD and the entire WHITEFIELD AREA as the HIGHEST ECOLOGICAL AREA of the WHOLE SITE; and there must be NO DISTURBANCE to ROADSIDE VEGETATION.


 During 2013 EPURON had drawn a map to show the access road would be via a private property “Kia-Ora”, as the WHITEFIELD ROAD was not suitable as the access road. 


The DPE and PAC disregarded the OE&H  assessment  when approving the Coppabella Precinct in 2016, allowing the clearing of 49 Hollow Bearing Trees on the  highly valued ecological Whitefield Road . 


Following another site visit in January 2018, the OE&H again found several area were incorrectly   mapped  in the environmental assessment and that  several area  mapped as exotic  were native.     


The project now consists of variables which change when the construction team arrive on the site; e.g. 70% of the Turbines will be micro cited


 The ‘open ended’ approval  for the Whitefield Road is a MINUMUN CLEARANCE OF 5 METRES  with NO  RESTRICTIONS ON MAXIMUM CLEARANCE!! 


With  the road  (approx 30- 50 metres)  this would allow Goldwind to clear the Whitefield Road at least a further 30 metres.  The environmental carnage from the increased land clearance on the  steep fragile Coppabella hills  will be irreversible.                                                                                                                          


The NWFC  visited the site in late 2017 and agreed the WHITEFIELD  ROAD  is NOT a suitable access road and  the Whitefield Road  and Coppabella South Precinct should be removed from the project. There are two alternate access roads—the Berremangra Road, wider, sealed and not a tree to be destroyed ; the most suitable entrance  is directly from the highway onto a Hosts property, this access would be less costly to the Proponents as there would not be any restrictions or expenses incurred with Local Council or Roads & Maritime Services  as there are no centre trees along that section of the highway. ( Letter/Photos sent to RMS)


Either of these alternate access roads would eliminate the use of the Whitefield Road and Coppabella South precinct.  Exposing collusion with Hosts/ DPE in 2016.


The mental fatigue of neighbours and the community is becoming evident by the day; it is appalling, in this previously close rural community, a  Rural Health RAMPH Coordinator was advised to attend a CCC meeting in May 2019.


 The impacted Landowners/neighbours have NOT received  SUPPORT from any level of Government.  We are entitled to be heard and consulted. 


There must be a MORATORIUM  until  THERE IS AN INQUIRY and all unanswered questions with this MARGINAL PROJECT and other proposed/approved intermittent renewable projects  have been answered.  There are 8 W T Projects constructed/approved in Eden Monaro electorate. 


Industrialisation in rural Yass Valley & Coppabella Hills MUST STOP             


IN THE MEDIA
The Hillls of the Copperbella are far steeper then other turbine project. If even possible, building roads stable enough to support trucks carrying larger turbines will destroy this environment and cause irreversible erosion.

HOVER OVER THE PHOTO TO READ MORE

    • FROM THE MEDIA

    Wind turbine blades are non recycleable

    By Yass Landscape Guardians • October 27, 2020
    With blades spanning up to 260 feet and weighing an average of 36 tons, old or broken blades pose a difficult disposal problem around the world. Currently, there are two common disposal methods for turbine blades – burning them or throwing them in a landfill. According to NPR , more than 720,000 tons of blade material will be disposed of over the next 20 years. With an increasing dependence on wind-generated electricity and the ever-growing size of the turbines themselves, the issue of waste from wind turbines is one that cannot be ignored. Turbine blades are difficult to recycle On average, wind turbines are designed to last approximately 20 to 25 years. The majority of wind turbines are made from steel and copper, which are widely recyclable materials. However, the blades of these turbines are a different matter entirely. Turbine blades tend to be made from composite glass or carbon material. Unlike steel and copper, these materials are not as valuable when recycled, so many turbine owners turn to less green disposal methods, such as disposing of decommissioned blades in landfills. Owners of wind turbines frequently pay for collection services to transport the massive blades to landfills. However, because of their size and weight, turbine blades typically need to be cut up before they can be moved. Disassembling these blades generates increased time and energy spent simply on disposal. Once they reach the landfill, the turbine blades take up a large amount of space. Municipal landfills across the country have encountered issues with finding enough space for the massive number of blades while maintaining room for other forms of waste. Source: Choose Energy The Issue We can expect 700 oversized and overweight loads will be delivered to Coppabella. All of these 700 envisaged oversized and overweight loads will close the Hume Highway as they turn into Whitefields Road Goldwind's approved access point for construction of Coppabella. Added to this all the police escorts and associated escort vehicles, a massive onterarge that the taxpayer is funding? The Bango blades are 71 meters long unsure of the weight but referencing the site that disclosed that at the Dundonnell blade a is 73M blades and are 70 tonnes each in weight. Thus for Bango at 71M the weight will be negligible less, and Coppabella at 70M very marginally less in weight. Equates in round figures to 210 tonnes per tower of non recyclable balde. Our question is where will all this waste end up?

    What's Wrong with Wind and Solar?

    By PragerU • September 14, 2020
    Are wind, solar, and batteries the magical solutions to all our energy needs? Or do they come with too high a price? Mark Mills, Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, analyzes the true cost — both economic and environmental — of so-called green energy.
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