COUNCIL and community have united in deep concern over several large-scale solar and battery storage system proposals that threaten high-quality agricultural land across Baw Baw Shire.
There are two proposals for Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) projects in Baw Baw Shire currently being assessed by the Victorian Government, one in Shady Creek and another at Yarragon North. Neither of these locations sit within the Victorian Government’s proposed Gippsland Renewable Energy Zone.
In addition to the proposals under assessment, state renewable energy mapping indicates that there is an approved (not operational) BESS located at Longwarry, and an approved solar farm located at Trafalgar.
According to current planning structures, permit applications for renewable energy proposals with significant economic benefit can bypass local Council planning frameworks and be made directly to the Minister for Planning, effectively removing local voices from the process.
At October’s Council meeting, East Ward Cr Brendan Kingwill raised a Notice of Motion (NoM) to make Council’s concerns clear to the Victorian Government, and to seek further information on any local solar and battery proposals.
As part of the NoM, a letter has been issued to the Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny MP by former Mayor Cr Danny Goss on behalf of Council and local farming communities who feel blindsided by these proposals.
The Mayor said that while Council supports steps to transition to renewable energy, there are concerns over poor siting of such proposals that appear to threaten rich farmland that has long supported Victoria’s food and fibre production.
“Many local farming communities feel blindsided by the sudden appearance of industrial-scale proposals on land that has supported generations of essential food production.
“People are asking reasonable questions about how these facilities will affect their livelihoods, their safety, and the amenity of their rural communities – but answers have been slow to come, if at all,” the Mayor said.
“Our communities have a right to serious concerns about the long-term implications for the land and water they depend on. These concerns include potential contamination of soil and groundwater from battery chemicals, constant operational lighting and noise, threat to regional character, and most importantly diminishing some of
