Glen Innes has been the centre-point for the White Rock Wind Farm, but the Sapphire Wind Farm, a near neighbour on the north side of the Gwydir Highway, is all about Inverell.
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Project engagement manager Lisa Stiebel said they are now making plans for community information sessions with one next week to give the Inverell district a good understanding of the work in progress and how to own a piece of the picture.
Construction commenced in January on the 270MW, 75 turbine, after financial agreements were finalised in early December, with the project timeline to run 18 to 20 months.
“We should expect the first turbines would be arriving possibly in September of this year.” Ms Stiebel said. She said the wind farm project officers had been made to feel very welcome, and it had been appreciated.
Part of the engagement process is informing the district about the potential for community investment into the project.
We should expect the first turbines would be arriving possibly in September of this year.
- Sapphire Wind Farm community engagement manager Lisa Stiebel
“With renewable energy, there are two quite different approaches around community involvement, in terms of the financial involvement of communities,” she said.
“There’s community ownership, and community investment, and they’re two quite different things.”
She said Armidale based New England Wind, a community renewable organisation which has formed to develop, own and run a wind or solar farm, is an example of ownership.
The Sapphire Wind Farm is offering the potential of community investment, a concept Ms Stiebel said was common in Europe, but not so familiar to Australian audiences.
“It’s where a wind or solar project is developed and fully-financed by a private company, and then carves off a portion of that project’s equity, or allocates a portion of that project for community investment,” she said.
She said they will seek input from the community to gauge interest about this addition to individual financial portfolios.
Danish farmer and internationally-renowned renewable energy pioneer Søren Hermansen will visit Inverell next Wednesday, February 15, 6pm at the Inverell RSM Club.
He will share his own experience of how his home, Samsø Island secured its future by developing renewable energy resources and transitioning to 100 per cent clean energy in a 10-year period.
Bookings to see Søren Hermansen are free, but essential, and can be made at sapphirecommunityinvesttest.com.au.
Michèle Jedlicka
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