Red lights of Nundle wind project to dominate landscape, be 'visible from Tamworth': opponents

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) recommended "that the wind farm is obstacle lit with steady medium intensity red lighting" in its submission to the project's environmental impact statement and DA.

President of the Hills of Gold Preservation Society John Krsulja said the lights would be visible from as far as Tamworth.

The society opposes the proposed power scheme.

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Mr Krsulja said the lights - two each for each of the project's 70 turbines - would destroy the region's tourism sector, including his business, the DAG sheep station.

They would turn the sleepy tourist town into an "industrialised landscape", with Nundle "basically a power station", with the lights burning all night long to warn approaching air traffic of the turbine obstacle, he said.

"People don't come to a place like Nundle, or Hanging Rock, in the middle of nowhere to sit below blinking red lights. They can go do that at an airport," he said.

He said the project would be "devastating" to the community. Some would sit as high as 1500 metres above sea level, he said.

"It'll totally change the existing use of the ridge," he said.

"All you have to do if you want to get an idea of how far you'll see them from, is go to Glen Innes and drive out to a lookout about 15-20 ks and watch them. Even though they say they're medium intensity, they have to be seen from a distance from aircraft approaching.

"This ridgeline dominates the landscape. It's the most dominating feature in the horizon from Tamworth looking towards Nundle, and especially from the village of Nundle or the approach to Nundle.

"You need to be able to see them from 20-30 kilometres away; they're obstacle lighting for a reason."

A spokesperson for ENGIE, which owns the project, said the company will "continue to engage with CASA" to find a compromise that would allow aircraft to fly safely while minimising the effect on locals.

"The elevation difference between the height of the turbines and nearby towns will improve the effectiveness of shields on any turbines agreed with CASA to be lit," the spokesperson said.

Mr Krsulja said the company should install radar-based technology, which keeps the lights switched off unless there is an aircraft in the area.

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The technology is mandatory in some parts of the world, notably including Germany.

ENGIE did not answer questions from the Leader asking whether the company would consider installing it.

CASA will review a lighting plan by Wind Energy Partners to determine if all the turbines need to be lit, and if not which ones could go without.

The lights will also not need to be flashing. In its submission, CASA said the agency believes they "would be excessively environmentally severe".

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