The proponent of Nundle's controversial wind farm is confident it can address a slew of issues raised by the local community, even after the council declared it would not support the project in its current form.
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ENGIE general manager for asset development Andrew Kerley still hadn't read the council's damning submission to the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Environment (DPIE) on Wednesday, but said he would review it and look to address the council's concerns.
"We had engaged appropriate consultants and experts in the different fields to prepare the submissions for the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)," he said.
"To the extent that further information is requested from the council, we would have to see the nature of that request - we were of the view the submission was okay, but we are open to continuing discussions to provide more information."
The $750 million renewable energy project would see 70 wind turbines installed on the outskirts of Nundle.
Tamworth Regional Council's (TRC) submission outlines 'serious concerns' about intrusions onto private property, threatened species evaluations, traffic and social impacts on the community.
At Tuesday night's meeting councillors discussed clearing that has already taken place in the area, and mayor Col Murray said while he would have liked to see the project go ahead, "there's just too many unanswered questions for me".
ENGIE's Mr Kerley denied any involvement with the clearing, but said he was aware that a landowner had undertaken clearing of their own choice.
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He said it was unlikely the location of the proposed wind farm, about 5km south of Hanging Rock, would change.
"All the work that we have done has assumed the proposed location will be the location, we think it has good wind resources and it's close to electrical transmission infrastructure, so we are comfortable with is as being suitable for a wind farm," he said.
"Projects of this nature typically do have some folk who have concerns, from our engagement with the community there are many who support the project - we are available to listen and we will be transparent in how we develop and construct the wind farm.
"We will respond to the public submissions and we will go through the IPC [Independent Planning Commission] process and some design finalisation we will do in parallel to that, with a target for construction in the first half of next year."
Submissions should be made public in the coming weeks.
Madeline Link
Madeline Link is a journalist at the Newcastle Herald, with a focus on Lake Macquarie City Council. To keep up with my stories, follow my Twitter @madeline_link, for tips email madeline.link@newcastleherald.com.au.
Madeline Link is a journalist at the Newcastle Herald, with a focus on Lake Macquarie City Council. To keep up with my stories, follow my Twitter @madeline_link, for tips email madeline.link@newcastleherald.com.au.
