BSFG and REB recently received an ​Invitation to the Community Consultation for South Energy's proposed Solar Farms at Kennedys Creek and Lake Mokoan on Thursday 13 June at the Lake Mokoan Hub from 4 to 7 pm.  The invitation letter included the following background information and contact details.

1.0 Introduction

South Energy is currently preparing two upcoming planning permit applications for the use and
development of two solar farms; Kennedys Creek Solar Farm and Lake Mokoan Solar Farm. Both
proposed solar farms are located in proximity to the Winton Wetlands.

With great respect to your effort and dedication to the region, we wish to inform the Benalla
Sustainable Future Group of the upcoming planning applications to ensure that members are aware of both proposals and are given the opportunity to provide feedback on the projects.
Community consultation is a key next step for the proposals and will help to inform the design and delivery of the projects. An information session about the proposed solar farms will be held at the Mokoan Hub and Café at 4pm to 7pm on Thursday, 13 June 2019. South Energy would like to formally invite members of the Benalla Sustainable Future Group to the information session and welcome member’s comments on the proposed solar farms.

2.0 Site and Project Overviews

In response to the Australian Government’s initiative to mitigate the risk of climate change and global warming, the purpose of the proposed projects is to supply green electricity generated from solar irradiation into the National Energy Market. The projects will contribute significantly to Australian and Victorian renewable energy targets by reducing carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 547,000 tonnes a year in total. The following two sections provide an overview of each solar farm.

2.1.1 Kennedys Creek Solar Farm
​
The Kennedys Creek Solar Farm will be located at:
• Murray Road, Benalla;
• 51 Nelson Road, Benalla;
• 67 Nelson Road, Benalla
• 125 Nelson Road, Benalla; and
• 284 Benalla-Yarrawonga Road, Benalla.
​
The site is located within the Industrial 1 Zone and the Farming Zone. Currently, it is being used for broad acre farming. Upon completion, the project is expected to have a network capacity of up to 145 megawatts (MW), providing green electricity to approximately 51,000 households each year.

2.1.2 Lake Mokoan Solar Farm

Lake Mokoan Solar Farm will be located at:
• 892 Benalla-Yarrawonga Road;
• 81 Lake Mokoan Road, Goorambat; and
• Benalla-Yarrawonga Road, Benalla.

The project is approximately 4 kilometres north of the proposed Kennedys Creek Solar Farm and is situated to the west of the Winton Wetlands. The project is located wholly within the Farming Zone and is also currently used for broad acre farming.

The project is expected to have a network capacity of up to 115 MW and is anticipated to provide green electricity to approximately 41,000 households each year.

3.0 What’s Next?

Both of the chosen sites have been deemed suitable for development of a solar farm due to their
topography and proximity to existing infrastructure.We understand the importance of community engagement to ensure that local opinions, perspectives and ideas are heard and considered by the projects. Once we have considered the feedback received from all stakeholders, it is anticipated that the planning application will be submitted to Benalla Rural City Council in July 2019.

Should you have any questions or queries regarding the projects, please do not hesitate to contact David Huang on (03) 8842 6888 or [email protected] or visit our website www.kennedyscreeksolar.com.au or www.lakemokoansolar.com.au 
+613 8842 6888 | Fax +613 8640 0706
www.southenergy.com.au ​

REB members recently met representatives of South Energy to discuss the proposed Goorambat Solar Farm, expected to have an estimated network capacity of up to 66 megawatts, powering approximately 24,300 households with electricity through the production of clean energy. 

An information session in which South Energy shared their vision for the Goorambat Solar Farm project was  held on Thursday 29 November at the Goorambat Town Hall, providing an opportunity for local opinions and ideas to be heard by the project.  

Information about the project provided to the Benalla Ensign published on Wednesday 21 November included the following

• the farm, spanning 130 hectares, is to be located 430 metres south east of Goorambat  township
• the topography  & cleared area of the site ensure optimal exposure to solar resources
• the project will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 143,000 tonnes a year

Economic benefits of the project include

• the creation of 250 jobs (direct and indirect) during the construction period with up to 3 jobs required for operation and maintenance of the solar farm on a longer term/permanent basis
• opportunities for local businesses to be engaged during the project 
• diversification and strengthening of the local economy

South Energy, a renewable energy developer specialising in delivering utility scale solar farms, will  lodge the planning application for the Goorambat project with Benalla Rural City Council shortly.  

More information is available at https://www.goorambatsolar.com.au.  If you have queries about the project,  contact Jo Barnett:  [email protected].