A developer is taking yet another crack at getting approval for solar farm near a town in Victoria, but the local council still isn’t on board.
Bookaar Renewables has been attempting to get the green light for construction of Bookaar Solar Farm since 2018. The proposed development is a 200 MW PV + battery storage facility to be sited approximately 8 kilometres north of the township of Camperdown in southwest Victoria.
In 2018, Corangamite Shire Council unanimously rejected the proposal, citing concerns including all the usual suspects such as fire risk, glare, visual impact and loss of agricultural land. 86 submissions were received in relation to the application, with 81 opposing.
The Bookaar Solar Farm application then went before the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) on appeal in August 2019, which upheld Council’s decision.
But Bookaar Renewables wasn’t done yet.
Subsequent new planning guidelines for large-scale solar farms in Victoria saw the state’s Minister for Planning becoming the responsible authority for all development applications.
Bookaar Renewables decided to give things another red-hot go and at the end of last year submitted a fresh development application to the Department of Environment Land Water and Planning (DELWP), with some changes that are summarised here.
If approved soon, construction of Bookaar Solar Farm – which will take around 12 months – will start this year. The cover letter for the new application notes a project cost of $280 million and requests the “fast-tracking” of a decision by the Minister.
Corangamite Shire Council Continues Opposition
Corangamite Shire Council still isn’t happy with the revised application.
A draft submission to the Minister for Planning discussed at Tuesday’s meeting notes renewable energy development “is not a strategic priority” for Corangamite Shire. Something that is among its priorities is “to support the continued operation of gas and future investigation into new blue/green hydrogen opportunities”.
- blue hydrogen = hydrogen produced using natural gas, with related CO2 emissions generated during its production captured and stored.
- green hydrogen = produced by splitting water by electrolysis, powered by renewables.
Other concerns such as removing productive farming land from agricultural use and potential impacts on adjoining landholders remain.
The draft submission also takes aim at a common gripe associated with contentious solar farm projects – a perceived lack of community engagement. The related agenda item claims:
“The applicant has not held any planned or targeted community engagement and has instead sought to rely on the consultation undertaken for the original application, which was Council directed and facilitated.”
Another thorny point is the proposed financial contribution through a community benefits fund. The amount of $20,000 per annum is considered to be insufficient given the scale and impact of the proposal and it won’t result in a net community benefit that is proportionate to its investment and future income.
It appears the draft submission was approved by Council at Tuesday’s meeting, with several Councillors needing to leave chambers prior to the vote, citing conflict of interest.
With all the complexities and conflicts of interest surrounding this project, it looks like the Minister for Planning has quite a task ahead in sorting through it all and arriving at a decision.
About Michael Bloch
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Corangamite Shire sits within the Federal Division_of_Wannon, which has been held by the Liberals since 1955. Malcolm Frazer held the seat from 1955 until his retirement in 1983;
The current Federal Liberal MP is Dan Tehan, who won 51.11% of the vote in the 2019 election. The now de-registered United Australia gained 6.02% of the votes at that time.
Tehan supported Tony Abbott in the September 2015 Liberal Party leadership spill.
I admire the courage of the developer in even attempting to have a solar farm built nearby to the town in the first place.
I live in this electorate and despite having installed roof top solar on three houses, i believe that Corangamite shire is correct in opposing this application
The area in question is prime fertile land and is an important resource for our food supply.
Also it lies along a major geological lineament that has in the past been involved in the expulsion of mantle rock material. There are many more stable and less agriculturally productive areas in this state.
“Also it lies along a major geological lineament that has in the past been involved in the expulsion of mantle rock material.”
Really grasping at straws here. Australia is volcanically dead. You know this.
Maurice,
If the land is ‘prime fertile’ and important to the food supply for the town, then I’m inclined to agree with you that it could prove best in the longer term not to develop it..
So far as volcanic activity is concerned, it is true that Australia is considered ‘volcanically dead’ at present with no known active or dormant volcanoes.
But it also true that there are quite a number of geothermal areas around in Australia,,
Enough of those exist to make the production of electricity from some of them a viable business proposition, and they are quite a reliable indicator that far hotter substances lie not that far beneath.
Earthquakes and minor tremors are also an indicator of underground movement of molten materials relatively close to the surface.
Just because there are no volcano cones dotting the horizon around you doesn’t automatically mean you will never ever see a lava flow. Any slow but increase in minor tremors can also be a bit of a worry.
The usual comment that “glare is an issue….. “, that has to be an ignorant joke?
Seriously? Solar panels are designed to absorb light, not reflect it. They are black bodies….. anything black absorbs light and heat.
Whoever puts in “glare” as a reason to oppose solar panel installation is akin to people who say that daylight savings fades the curtains quicker.
Glass windows transmit perhaps 97% of the light falling on them, but they can still give off glare. But you are quite right that solar panels are designed to absorb much light as possible and the chances of glare off a solar farm being a realistic problem for anyone is remote.
I have had a problem with a solar farm and that was finding a good spot to photograph it. If it’s the sort of solar farm where I’d struggle to get a good view to take a photo, I doubt anyone is going to be inconvenienced by glare.
As a resident of this area I know full well the impact this monster would have on our lands. It would totally suffocate one farmers borders. CFA have already said if there is a fire they cannot deal with it. It will be so large, a blight on our pastoral landscape. If government didn’t have huge grants this solar application would never have been considered. Never once did this local family ever consult their neighbours.
There are so many other reasons. How would you like it in your backyard??
I’d be fine with it in my back yard. Not sure how it would fit, though…
We must always ask this question, if Jesus wanted solar panels and yet if Jesus opposed it, what would Jesus do?