Brian and Susan McLaurin say installing wind turbines on Table Top Mountain, viewed here from their front yard, and the Yambla Range would be environmental devastation in the making and they have joined a campaign to fight the development. Photos: Vanessa Hayden.
More than 150 people have signed up to a campaign within 24 hours to stop the progress of a wind farm project slated for Table Top Mountain and the Yambla Range near Gerogery.
They might be waiting more than a year to have their say, however, as proponent Alinta Energy has confirmed it may be some time before any assessments that need to be undertaken will be completed.
In response to further questions from Region, Alinta issued a statement saying if it does find that a project is technically viable, it will seek community input.
“We understand that the concept of a wind farm in the Yambla Ranges has raised important questions and concerns within the community,” Alinta responded.
“At this stage, the proposal is in its earliest phase – the pre-feasibility stage – which means we are assessing whether a project is viable. It may be more than a year before these assessments are complete.”
Brian and Susan McLaurin hope they speak for most residents in the area when they say wind turbines along the Yambla Range are not welcome.
The McLaurins have lived on their Table Top property ”Langara” for 30 years and are in shock over the proposal.
“This would be environmental devastation,” Susan said. ”It doesn’t make a difference if it’s five turbines or 25, even one would ruin the landscape and the natural beauty of the area.
“The turbines may be earmarked for private property, but they will be near an iconic landmark, a national park and near or on land that is very important to the local Wiradjuri people.
“There are hundreds of people that will be affected by this.
“And not just those in the Greater Hume Shire, but others, like us, who live in Albury City Council and moved to the area for its rural and environmental values and for whom this mountain range would have been a big part of why they chose to live here.”
Brian said: “The amount of concrete and steel that goes into constructing these things is gobsmacking.
“From what I’ve read, depending on the size and output of each turbine, there is anything from 600 to 2000 tonnes of concrete and 100 to 180 tonnes of steel required to build one of them.
“I’d like to find someone, apart from those who think having one in their backyard or paddock is a viable proposition, that would welcome the sort of visual degradation and destruction of the landscape that goes with it.”
Brian and Susan say the announcement of potential wind turbines along the Yambla Range will affect hundreds of people from both the Greater Hume Shire and Albury City Council district.
Burrumbuttock resident and Farrer candidate for the Family First Party in the last federal election, Rebecca Scriven, said she felt as though locals had been kept in the dark about the project.
“This proposal was put in place 12 months ago and we hear that Greater Hume Shire doesn’t have a position on it yet. What’s taken them so long to have an opinion?” she said.
“It would be nice to know that our local government and our local members of parliament are looking into all of the concerns that people have.”
She said her biggest concern was that rural Australians were taking the brunt of the renewable rollout but were not receiving much in return, apart from expensive power bills and “big, ugly wind turbines”.
“From an economic standpoint, renewable energy doesn’t seem to be benefiting locals. People are struggling financially; you only need to walk down Albury’s Dean Street to see how many empty shops there are.
“There’s a lot to consider, but at the end of the day, if we have to look at these, what is the benefit in that?
“Can they promise us cheaper electricity prices? I doubt it very much. We’ve been promised that renewables are going to be cheap, but they’ve shown to be anything but that.”
Rebecca also raised concerns about potential impacts on property values, the bushfire risks associated with battery storage, and threats to endangered species including the squirrel glider and swift parrot.
“I know a lot of people that this is going to impact, and I know a lot of people are not happy about it. They are very worried because, despite community consultation that may occur, they fear they still will not be listened to.
“These things are huge, absolutely massive. We wouldn’t allow high-rise buildings up there; why would we allow these things there?”
Greater Hume Shire Mayor Lea Parker has gone on record as saying she has significant reservations about the proposal and that it will be “unsightly” for the region.
She told media she had heard there would be 24 turbines with 90-metre blades and the nearest residence would be about 2.5 kilometres away. She expected the company would present to the council in September.
“Putting them on top of our iconic Table Top range, which happens to be the council’s logo, yes, I have very big reservations about it,” she told local media.
Alinta also manages the Yandin Wind Farm in Western Australia, 175 km north of Perth. It was opened in 2021 and consists of 51 wind turbine generators that can power the equivalent of 200,000 households across WA each year.
These turbines are among the biggest ever installed in Australia. At their highest point, the blades reach 180 m into the air, and the rotor diameter is 150 m.
Despite their size, Alinta promotes the turbines as only occupying about 0.03 per cent of the project site, “meaning farming and existing land uses can co-exist”.
Alinta Energy entered into lease agreements with landholders in the wheatbelt town of Dandaragan, allowing the farmers to continue their normal activities, whether grazing or cropping.
You can contact Alinta for more information at [email protected] and you can sign up to the Save Table Top campaign by visiting the Save Tabletop website.
