A majority of the landowners within the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone have opposed hosting transmission infrastructure to protect productive farmlands, a report on the various consultations held last February and March has revealed.
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Of the 35 submissions from landowners, 22 directly came from landowners with16 opposing the revised REZ corridor plan but Energy Co implementing the REZ will continue the talks "to understand their sentiment as we refine the transmission route."
More than 130 landowners and concerned residents have attended the consultations held in Wellington, Gulgong and Dunedoo to discuss the route of the new transmission network expected to generate 3 gigawatt electricity from solar farms and wind turbines in the region in the next decade.
The REZ is envisioned to generate cheaper and cleaner electricity from combined renewable sources such as solar, wind and hydro operating in the region enough to power 1.5 million homes as part of the NSW government's Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap.
In the report released last month, Energy Co assured the landowners that it will "further refine the transmission route [and] wherever possible will avoid locations where landowners are not supportive."
The revised corridor map showed transmission infrastructure will be built at Wollar, Elong Elong, Merotherie and Uarbry. Many of the originally proposed solar and wind farms were in Wellington, Dunedoo and Cassilis, but the centre of the 20,000 kilometre hub are covering Dubbo and Dunedoo.
"It's good that they are finally listening to the sentiments of the local people to decide on prime agricultural land and it seems majority are against and many are concerned and had questions that need answers," Karin Stark, a Narromine landowner said.
Ms Stark, organiser of the first Renewables in Agriculture Conference at Wagga Wagga in 2019 and co-manages Waverleigh farm in Narromine with her partner Jon Elder, has attended the consultation at Dunedoo.
Ms Stark and Mr Elder has began trialling their combined cotton, wheat, barley and canola farm operations in Narromine with diesel-run generator and power generated from their 500 kilowatt solar powered diesel system.
She and Mr Elder are sharing their lived experiences as farmers combining renewable electricity with diesel generator as a research and development study on the future of renewable energy to power agriculture operations by 2030 and make energy consumption cheaper for farmers.
"The roadmap by 2030 is to make on farm energy usage 50 percent from renewable energy, its a great target but we haven't seen much to make that a reality," Ms Stark said.
Their 500kw solar-powered diesel pump system used in all farming operations at Waverleigh, which is mainly 80 percent producing cotton, is the largest in the country.
Since sharing their experience with using renewable energy, Ms Stark said a lot landowners and farmers are showing increasing interest as they see that "renewables make sense as we are being exposed to different pricing shocks on electricity and gas."
Technologies such as battery storage for renewable electricity are still expensive for farmers, Ms Stark because large farming operations would require nearly $1 million to install battery storage for continous long hours of operations on farms.
A planning and environment spokesman said when the REZ is in full operations, households are projected to save $130 a year on electricity bill and $430 a year on average for small business between 2023 and 2042 if the REZ roadmap is fully implemented.
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A new scoping report is being prepared for consideration of the planning and environment department which will contain the revised corridor plans as proposed by the landowners while further consultations are being planned.
But since the REZ was initiated in November 2021 and an environmental impact study due next year, the spokesman said, Energy Co has "attracted significant investor interest in a wide range of renewable generation projects" in the Orana and Central West regions and many of these projects are "in planning process throughout the REZ declared area".
This year, more than 45,000 solar panels are installed from from rooftops to large scale business operations throughout the Central West and Orana regions, representing 37 percent of suitable dwellings and buildings for solar energy generation.