"THERE is a war going on in this country about renewable energies.
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"And when you have a war, you have a lot of battles. And this is our battle."
The stakes were made clear when the Oberon Against Wind Towers (OAWT) group held its latest community meeting in front of a crowd of hundreds that spilled from the main room in the Oberon RSL on Thursday night, June 27 into an adjoining space.
"It's a David and Goliath fight. It really is," OAWT president Robert Snoch told the crowd about the fight to keep wind turbines out of the local government area.
"But David won. And we're not giving up."
The group's financial commitment was also made clear during the latest community meeting, when the crowd was told that OAWT had employed a lobbyist.
![Oberon Against Wind Towers president Robert Snoch with treasurer and committee member, Frank O'Connor. Oberon Against Wind Towers president Robert Snoch with treasurer and committee member, Frank O'Connor.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/7PapGKjYPrPEgYfvAPt3Wq/b273a632-3d07-42b5-9634-0be51907d135.JPG/r285_396_5210_3353_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The group's Frank O'Connor was asked by a member of the crowd how the fight could be funded.
"We have been sending emails out for the last year saying can you please help us financially," Mr O'Connor said.
"We've got a fantastic committee. We're all contributing what we can.
"There's one guy who's contributed more than most and then there's Mayfield Garden, and Chris Muldoon, who've contributed even more," he said to applause.
![A big crowd was at the Oberon RSL Club for the community group's latest public meeting. A big crowd was at the Oberon RSL Club for the community group's latest public meeting.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/7PapGKjYPrPEgYfvAPt3Wq/51c4950d-bc79-4d46-a79a-b567261b6c9b.jpeg/r0_532_3520_1979_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Mr Snoch said a report prepared by consultants to give their opinion on an interim heritage order for O'Connell's Anzac Memorial Avenue of trees, which it is feared will be damaged by wind turbine infrastructure being transported by heavy vehicles, had cost $8000 "and then there was another three grand on top of that".
"And those funds have come from the community," he said. "People like you.
"You know, people do donate, but in this case, more is our committee members.
"We're all volunteers. We all have our own private lives. But people put in what they can and some committee members are putting in thousands of dollars out of their own pocket."
Meeting's purpose
THE meeting was held to provide an update on two proposed wind farm projects in the Oberon area: the Paling Yards Wind Farm on private land north of Taralga (whose environmental impact statement was placed on exhibition last year); and a wind farm in the Gurnang, Vulcan and Mount David state forests.
Forestry Corporation issued permits in May 2024 for investigations into wind farms in four locations, including Black Springs and Sunny Corner, and one of the two companies behind the proposed Oberon state forest project says it is now talking to the community.
![Frank O'Connor speaks during the meeting about the group's fears that the proposed wind towers will be visible from Katoomba and Blackheath. Frank O'Connor speaks during the meeting about the group's fears that the proposed wind towers will be visible from Katoomba and Blackheath.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/7PapGKjYPrPEgYfvAPt3Wq/8833908a-e24c-4227-aab0-08c01809f6db.jpeg/r0_0_3520_1979_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Stromlo Energy is - with TagEnergy - investigating the viability of the wind farm in the softwood plantations in the Oberon area.
TagEnergy would be the owner-operator if The Pines Wind Farm proceeds, while Stromlo is "leading all activities prior to the start of construction".
Visual fears
OAWT's community meeting covered environmental, economic and social reasons for the community to reject wind farms, as well as revealing 3D images that the group said showed the proposed turbines in the Oberon area state forests would be visible from as far away as Katoomba.
"We have commissioned a study, 3D study, which is accurate, 100 per cent accurate, and in that study it shows that these towers will be seen from Katoomba, Echo Point, from Blackheath," Mr O'Connor said.
![Part of the big crowd at the meeting. Part of the big crowd at the meeting.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/7PapGKjYPrPEgYfvAPt3Wq/b5c1c434-1572-4e6d-b28a-de9f43e61e9e.jpeg/r0_383_3520_1979_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"They're seen from these locations because they're only 40 kilometres away.
"They're seen in daytime, but at night-time, these towers have red lights on them."
He said it will look like Luna Park in the distance.
The Western Advocate asked Stromlo about whether the towers would be able to be seen from Katoomba and Blackheath.
![Oberon Against Wind Towers committee member Chris Muldoon and president Robert Snoch. Oberon Against Wind Towers committee member Chris Muldoon and president Robert Snoch.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/7PapGKjYPrPEgYfvAPt3Wq/05a4e748-1903-46af-9078-8bb971a28e3b.JPG/r0_285_5568_3638_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"Because the forestry investigation permit has only just being issued, there is no turbine layout yet, only an investigation area," Stromlo Energy director Matt Parton said.
"The Pines Wind Farm team are working to have a layout ready for public comment before the end of 2024.
"Stromlo Energy has shared an example photomontage from Lake Oberon on The Pines Wind Farm Facebook page.
"The example shows several turbines between 16km and 25km and has been professionally produced using a 3D model.
"Stromlo Energy are not developing any turbines within 15km of Oberon."
![An image provided by Stromlo Energy. An image provided by Stromlo Energy.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/7PapGKjYPrPEgYfvAPt3Wq/17f243db-090f-4ddf-a12e-238f56031a73.png/r0_0_1479_874_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Stromlo has also previously told the Advocate that the company "wants to meet and listen to everyone in the community, especially those nearby to the Forestry agreement area".
Mr Parton has also previously said that Stromlo had, since Forestry Corporation's announcement in May about issuing permits to look at state forests, "had staff in the community on almost every day, presented to councillors on three occasions, and by the end of July will have hosted four community drop-in sessions".
OAWT said at its community meeting that The Pines Wind Farm will lead to 7650 oversize, over-mass truck movements (based on 450 towers) and they "will crawl along O'Connell Road and you will not be allowed to share the road with them while they are on transit".
![Oberon Against Wind Towers will have candidates standing in the Oberon Council election in September: Michael Cryer, Frank O'Connor, Ray Fitzpatrick, Robert Snoch, Robby Lee and, at front, Brenda Lyon, Tatiana Coulter, Robert Coulter and Jill O'Grady. Oberon Against Wind Towers will have candidates standing in the Oberon Council election in September: Michael Cryer, Frank O'Connor, Ray Fitzpatrick, Robert Snoch, Robby Lee and, at front, Brenda Lyon, Tatiana Coulter, Robert Coulter and Jill O'Grady.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/7PapGKjYPrPEgYfvAPt3Wq/12220db7-fb3c-4905-8bf6-b61d259a139b.JPG/r0_606_5568_3625_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Council battle
OAWT used the evening to unveil its nine candidates for the nine-seat Oberon Council local government elections in September.
The nine candidates are Frank O'Connor, Jill O'Grady, Robert Coulter, Tatiana Coulter, Robby Lee, Brenda Lyon, Michael Cryer, Ray Fitzpatrick and Robert Snoch.
Asked by a member of the crowd whether a referendum should be held in Oberon on whether the community wants wind towers or not, Mr O'Connor said the Oberon Council election "will be our referendum".
Because of the cost and scale of the proposed Tag and Stromlo project, the decision on whether it goes ahead or not will eventually come down to the NSW Government.
Before the meeting began, Mr Snoch told the Western Advocate that OAWT is not against wind towers, but is against wind towers in the Oberon local government area.
"There is a lot of unproductive land in Australia," he said. "Put them there.
"This is prime agricultural land.
"We're not against renewable energy, but we feel that the Oberon LGA [local government area] is the wrong location for these wind towers.
"These wind towers that they're proposing are 300m tall. Centrepoint Tower is 309m tall."