Riverina farmers and landholders hold a peaceful protest at Maxwell Park adjacent to the proposed Maxwell solar farm project. Photo: Shri Gayathirie Rajen.
A foreign company’s community consultations on its controversial Maxwell solar farm project have been slammed as totally inadequate at a protest this week.
Around 60 Riverina farmers and landowners peacefully gathered on Tuesday (8 April) at Maxwell Park (near the project site) to voice their objections to the Maxwell Downs Solar Farm and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS).
The Spanish-owned X-ELIO has proposed building the farm on 2500 acres in Maxwell, despite ongoing opposition from residents since the project was announced in 2022.
“Their kind of community engagement has been the most reprehensible and contemptible way of doing business I have ever seen,” Maxwell farmer Don Kirkpatrick said.
“We don’t know where we stand, our lives are on hold effectively, and we’ve just absolutely had enough of what’s going on and how we’ve been treated federally.”
Loading ...Mr Kirkpatrick, whose property is adjacent to the proposed solar farm site, said farmers didn’t choose rural life to “stare at solar panels”.
“We chose a lifestyle out here; we’re very good at producing food and fibre,” he said.
“In every hectare of land, we expect to grow, year in, year out, enough wheat to produce 7500 loaves of bread. We can feed a lot of people by running lambs here.
“It makes no sense whatsoever. The long-term reduction in overall gross domestic product for Australia and for this region is very real.”
Maxwell farmer Don Kirkpatrick’s property is located next to the proposed solar farm site. Photo: Shri Gayathirie Rajen.
Mr Kirkpatrick said a stakeholder engagement session last month with X-ELIO representatives left farmers with more questions than answers.
X-ELIO told Region there was more consultation to come.
“The 90-minute session with Maxwell residents was just the start of ongoing renewed consultation, providing an initial opportunity for in-depth discussion with project neighbours,” a spokesperson said.
“The planned pop-up stalls in Wagga Wagga were designed to provide general information to passers-by and were not meant to replace more detailed discussions with the local community. These discussions will continue as part of any project.”
Wagga MP Joe McGirr said the company had had years to properly engage the local community.
“We need to be consulted here. You can’t just plonk down transmission lines and solar factories and not consult with the community and not have the community form part of that and benefit from it — the community that’s directly affected by it,” he said.
“We’ve been fighting this for at least four years out here, and we’re continuing to do that.
“Renewable energy infrastructure needs a social licence. Yes, we need a transition to clean energy, but it needs community support.”
Mr Kirkpatrick questioned how Australia benefitted from these solar projects.
“They are a fully foreign-owned company. They have a company within a holding company within a trust for this project site.
“If you think for one second that they intend paying tax in Australia, in the immortal words of Darryl Kerrigan [from the movie The Castle], ‘Tell ’em they’re dreaming.’
“They will take no responsibility, will not pay tax and will walk away. They don’t care.”
Mr McGirr said the solar farms wouldn’t have “happy sheep under the panels in a happy world”.
“These are factories, not farms.”
Dr McGirr is calling for more pressure from the community.
“Continue to stand firm and make your concerns felt. Continue to support us as we try to make sure that these developments don’t go ahead where they’re not appropriate,” he said.
The proposed site is located to the west of Holbrook Road, near the intersection of O’Briens Creek Road, and will be set back either side of Oxley Bridge Road and to the north of Maxwell Road.
X-ELIO is seeking community feedback on the proposed solar farm.
Click here to complete the Maxwell Downs Renewable Project community feedback survey.
