A slideshow prepared for the Minlaton Community Meeting, Heartland Farmers

1. Heartland Farmers
Protecting Our Rural Community
heartlandfarmers@gmail.com

2. The proposed RePower Ceres Project
is a large scale industrial wind
generation plant.

3. Key Concerns
• The hundreds of members of this group fully support
green energy initiatives, but we oppose the Ceres
Project in its current location for a multitude of
reasons.
• While development & employment in the region are
welcome, it cannot be to the detriment of the
industries of agriculture and tourism.
• This would be the biggest wind turbine development in
Australia, and the health, safety and financial position
of thousands of YP residents would be jeopardised.

4. Wind Turbine wingspan: 100m
Boeing 747 wingspan: 65m
Hughes 500 Helicopter wingspan: 8m

5. Size comparison:
Jumbo Jet
Double Decker Bus
Wind Turbine

6. The proposed turbines will be 4 times the
height of the Ardrossan silos, 20 metres
taller than Adelaide’s tallest building.

8. We oppose this industrial project in
its proposed location because…
It will inhibit aerial agriculture practices.
It will not allow waterbombers to operate
near firefronts within or around the
turbines
It will devalue our farm land.
It will cost the Earth!

9. This is the
design layout
from the
Ceres Project
Green dots
refer to
turbine
placement

10. Health
In 2010 the National Health and Medical Research
Centre did a rapid review on literature predating 2009
on health concerns for people living near turbines.
This review was considered inconclusive, & their
current recommendation is that “relevant authorities
should take a precautionary approach” to siting
turbines near people until further research is
undertaken.

11. $1.3bn Ceres wind farm project
divides Yorke Peninsula towns
Julian Swallow
The Advertiser
January 08, 2013
“Poor technical understanding of wind turbine noise
has led to the adoption of noise guidelines for the
industry that have no evidential basis for the protection
of human health. Governments and the wind industry
are making it up as they go along.
A key principle of good governance when considering
action on any issue is to "do no harm".

12. Agriculturally Rich
• Less than 10% of South Australia is cropped.
• Australia’s export earnings from crops for 2012/13 was
$22 billion.
• South Australia's cropping areas earn approximately
$6 billion per year.
• Yorke Peninsula farmland makes up one fifth of the
area cropped* in South Australia.
*(up to 50% of remaining farm land in SA is
considered too marginal for growing food crops).

13. Prime Cropping Land
• Land values represent the productivity of
the land, and high yields call for higher
financial inputs by farmers in central YP.

14. This includes aerial spraying, baiting,
fertilising and seeding. Aerotech inform us
that the proposed development would
impact over 600km square by limiting this
tool.

15. Would you want your upwind neighbours spraying under this?
This photo shows the turbulence created by turbines on a calm day.
Who would be liable for spray-drift damage?

16. FIRE
• The primary role of the CFS is to protect life
and property from fire

17. FACT:
Fires can be unpredictable and visibility can be severely
reduced. No pilot would fly within 500 metres of
turbines shrouded in smoke

18. Aerial water bombing is a tool deemed necessary in
maximising the CFS’ ability to protect life and property in the
instance of a fire

19. Should this development go ahead it will prevent
aerial water bombing over 60,000ha of heavily
cropped land and adjoining coastal settlements.

20. This photo of an aerial water bomber over Curramulka was
taken on Nov 19 2009 from within the proposed turbine zone.
On Dec 7 2012 a fire burned within a few kilometres of the
proposed wind turbine sites and 5 aerial water bombers were
vital in saving homes and controlling the fire.

21. We would be lost without this
vital resource

22. Where accessibility by ground crew is
limited, water bombers become an essential
tool for CFS and volunteer fire fighters.

23. There are two water bombers in bottom left corner at
low altitude fighting the EP fire at Coomunga.

24. • In light of the 2005 EP fires and its ongoing
litigation, questions arise as to who could be liable
for loss of property or life within or adjacent to the
Development zones if the Ceres Project goes
ahead.

25. Fire on Eyre Peninsula near
Coomunga

26. Land Devaluation
• Elders Rural National Sales Manager has written
that the towers could lead to a 30% - 50% drop
in the value of nearby properties.
• In 2013 an Australian federal magistrate ruled
that a Victorian property would be devalued by
17% if only 14 turbines were erected on a
neighbouring property.

27. Local Council likely to have
reduced revenue stream
The South Gippsland council has agreed
to cut rates by 32 per cent for a resident
living adjacent to the Bald Hills Wind Farm
project, which is yet to erect any of its 52
planned turbines.

28. What do you believe?
• The developers tout that with 600m spacing between
turbines, this is the “least densely populated wind farm
in Australia”
• Ironically ‘population’ actually refers to inhabitants, not
industrial machines, and over 1300 homes are in or
within 10km of the turbines, making it one of the most
densely populated in Australia.

29. Proximity to the coast
• The submitted map indicates that the developers
plan to install 150m x 115m turbines within:
– 2km of Sheoak Flat and Port Julia residents.
– 2.8km of Port Vincent residents.
– 4.5km of Black Point
– 6.5km of Pine Point
• There will be a large converter station, shedding
for staff, hazardous materials storage & power
transformers 1.5km from Pt Julia on the coast
road.

30. Aerial photo of a turbine
base pad and access road.

32. Admitted to Not enough information
about Flora and Fauna studies.
• It is recognised that knowledge is poorly captured in the
Biological Database of South Australia (BDBSA).
Consequently there is uncertainty in relation to the status
of species, and additional species are likely to occur that
are not reflected by database records.
“There have been no published studies of the effects of
wind farms on the behaviour of Australian birds, so it is
difficult to evaluate the extent to which bird communities
will be adversely affected.”
(Taken from Ceres EPBC referral)
.

33. Mortality via direct collision with moving turbine rotors is an
obvious impact
Other major effects include displacement due to habitat loss
and various types of disturbance effects
(Drewitt and Langston 2006).

34. Particular bird groups, such as
raptors and waterbirds are
considered at greater risk of
collision because of their flight
heights, size and behaviour.

35. Think about it….
While the majority of studies report low
collision rates for birds, the impacts could
be ecologically significant. Even low rates of
mortality can have a substantial effect on
populations existing at low densities.

36. Too close for comfort.

37. How can we fight this proposal?
• Write letters to the Development
Assessment Commission to state your
opposition to this industrial project.
• We have until March 28th 2013.
• Anybody can do this, and we all should do
it now!

38. For more reading material…
For locally related queries anytime…
HEARTLAND FARMERS
• heartlandfarmers@gmail.com
Or like our page on FACEBOOK
Protect Our Rural Communities From Wind
Farm Reform
Or Visit on the web
• www.Stopthesethings.com
• www.wind-watch.org
• The Development application can be sourced from
www.dac.sa.gov.au

39. Address for letters to DAC
In Writing
The Secretary
Development Assessment Commission
GPO Box 1815
ADELAIDE SA 5001
Delivered in person
Department of Planning and Local Government
Roma Mitchell House (opposite Adelaide Railway Station)
Level 5, 136 North Terrace
ADELAIDE
Emailed
dacadmin@sa.gov.au

40. Please Don’t sell Australia Short