General News
23 November, 2025
Wedged between harvest and competing wind bids
MINCHA farmers opposed to wind factories in the district have found themselves stuck between two proposed renewable energy farms.
Matthew and Tegan Ladson and neighbour Kevin O’Toole were among landowners at a European Energy information session in Pyramid Hill last Wednesday.
One side of their properties is European Energy’s Mincha factory site, to the north Atmos Renewables’ Macorna wind farm slated for up to 140 turbines.
The Mincha footprint could be more than 1000 hectares and have as many turbines.
Mr O’Toole and the Ladsons said: “We’re wedged between the two.”
“And our land is absolutely a red path,” said Tegan who had added the family farm to a map of country Victoria charting property owners against renewable energy projects on agricultural land.
“We worried about the noise and other health concerns.”
A study released last week by the Victorian Farmers’ Federation link rural health and wellbeing stress with renewable energy projects.
Matthew is a seventh generation district farmer growing commercial hay and running a poll Dorset sheep stud. He was among critics of European Energy’s timing of last week’s information session as harvest started across the region.
“I just don’t know why they are doing this during harvest,” he said.
A European Energy representative at Wednesday’s session defended the timing.
“This is about getting the ball rolling, The bush telegraph moves quick and we didn’t want rumour and innuendo out there on the ground,” they said.
“We will come back in February when better suited ... we will be back.”
The Danish-owned company had prepared early plans with desktop modelling. “Our bio-diversity team has now started (on the ground) and we will have more community engagement.”
Read More: Pyramid Hill, Mincha, Macorna