The Proposed Hornsdale Wind Farm by Investec.

[Ray]

I went and had a look at the info provided to the public down at the Medical Centre yesterday.

I arrived at about 5:30pm and there were about half a dozen or so interested persons in attendance at that time, with several others coming in in the 35 minutes or so while I was there.

There were a number of diagrams and maps showing all manner if detail from a representative series of photos showing what it should  look like from a number of locations in the district, the ongoing results of environmental studies being undertaken,  locations of the actual towers and a drawing of a typical turbine and tower with it's dimensions. As one would expect, their approach to this project seemed very painstaking.

Upon entering i was immediately asked by one of the representatives in attendance if I had any questions or concerns, to which I answered, "No, not really" and then went on to explain my interest.  My memory fails me as to his name, but I must say that he was most helpful and explained where the project was in as far as the projected time line and many other details. I also had the chance to speak to a well known Hornsdale farmer and his wife who were very pleased with the idea of the project. Overall the mood seemed very up beat.

All in all, it was well worth attending the information day, even for those with only a casual interest such as myself, and i must admit that i am looking forward to seeing it go ahead,  as i feel that as well as being of significant ecological benefit to all, it will bring a lot of money into our town, especially during the construction phase.

Watch this space.

[Fonchie]

Hello, I too am interested in what is happening with the wind farms, personally I think they are unattractive, and detrimental to the landscape, I know there have been many gains for local businesses, however I believe that the life of these wind towers is not a long time in the scheme of things. I guess only time will tell, I hope they do not get built any closer to the township.

[Ray]

Hello, I too am interested in what is happening with the wind farms, personally I think they are unattractive, and detrimental to the landscape, I know there have been many gains for local businesses, however I believe that the life of these wind towers is not a long time in the scheme of things. I guess only time will tell, I hope they do not get built any closer to the township.

Hello Fonchie and Welcome to the JamestownEvents forum.

As far as I know, there are no plans to build near the town. There are no really viable sites for a start.  We certainly all have our opinions on these things, but when it's all said and done it comes down to just one thing,... Does anyone know of a more acceptable solution?

I don't know about yourself, but I certainly know what it's like to be without power on a recurring basis as we were during the Summer several years ago, I must admit that I don't see it as an acceptable way to live. The meat and produce that spoiled in our fridge and freezer cost nearly as much as 3 months power bill alone. To this end I now have my own small generator that can be plugged directly into my own house system for short term outages, and I also attempt to minimise my own power usage with a 3.0KW solar system. Hopefully my solar cells will ease the peak load on hot days when everyone wants their air conditioner on, and fridges are working overtime to keep things cool.

I'm yet to find anyone who would rather have a power station in their neighbourhood, in preference to a wind turbine, whether it be coal fired, gas turbine, or nuclear, Hydro not being an option.  

Since the first wind turbines were commissioned locally, I don't think that we have had one brownout or blackout due to overloading.

As with all things, we users must be prepared to make decisions based on the greater good, (or the lesser evil) whichever way you care to look at it.

Personally I think it would be wonderful to not need them, but I don't think that people are going to forego the convenience of electricity to make it happen.

[hatchbackgirl75]

What timeframe is this expected to happen in?

Noticed that since the last batch of wind farm workers left that for-rent ads are staying much longer on the noticeboard, and a good few houses have had quite dramatic drops in price. I'm particularly thinking of that scruffy white one near the showground turnoff on the road heading south to Clare that was rented to wind farm workers.

[Ray]

As far as I can see, it appears that the planning approval is still under review.

No doubt nothing further will happen until there is a decision from all of the relevant authorities.

I too have noticed the house you mention. I'd say that the owners are really only interested in the land that went with the house (3 large blocks) and that it was only rented out due to the high rentals being offered at the time. I don't believe that the owners have so much as looked at the house as far as upkeep is concerned. I would not be surprised to see it bulldozed should they ever decide that it is no longer a good sales prospect.