General News
8 September, 2024
Spanish company eyes Loddon land for turbines
SPANISH-OWNED Acciona Energia is eyeing Loddon land to build 150 wind turbines. A meeting with farmers in the Barraport district last Thursday was described by some landowners as “a fishing expedition” to build the towers in one of Victoria’s...
SPANISH-OWNED Acciona Energia is eyeing Loddon land to build 150 wind turbines.
A meeting with farmers in the Barraport district last Thursday was described by some landowners as “a fishing expedition” to build the towers in one of Victoria’s proposed tier one renewable energy zones.
More talks are expected to be held in a fortnight.
Boort’s Ian Potter attended the Barraport talks after word-of-mouth alerted farmers to Acciona’s plans.
“One of the biggest issues we have is that our farming practices are GPS-driven. Wind turbines would be an issue with sowing methods where we work nice and neat at the moment,” Mr Potter said.
Last week’s 90-minute meeting was attended by 10 landowners with questions asked on the rights of owners and leaseholders if turbines were erected on the land.
Vaughan Toose, who is also a member of the VNI West renewable energy project community reference group, said whether the move by Acciona was successful would be determined by economics.
But he said the bigger concern for the area was the possibility of solar farms. “Solar panels take up a lot more land.”
Mr Toose said a change of government was needed to put more perspective into the energy debate.
“We need a bit more of everything - renewables, nuclear,” he said.
Mr Toose said there was negativity, scepticism and a lot of caution about talk of wind turbines and solar farms in the area.
“And there are grey areas that insurances companies will exploit,” he said.
“Agriculture is under threat by all of this. We seem to be rapidly heading into a new world.”
The Loddon Herald has also been told that renewable energy companies have contacted farmers in the Wychitella area in the past month.
Acciona was contacted for details of its Loddon Shire plans but had not responded when we went to print this week.
According to the company’s website, Aacciona is a “global leader in renewable energy and infrastructure solutions. With a commitment to economic, environmental, and social progress, Acciona actively drives the transition towards a low-carbon economy and is dedicated to contributing to a sustainable future in Australia and New Zealand”.
“Acciona aims to contribute to Australia and New Zealand’s sustainable development through their projects and the positive impact they have on people and the planet. The company takes on ambitious projects and showcases unmatched technical expertise in building regenerative infrastructure like roads, rail and bridges, water treatment facilities, and renewable energy assets. In Australia and New Zealand, the company focuses on wind and solar technologies, and they are currently at the helm of constructing one of the largest wind farms in the southern hemisphere.”