About Us
ReD4NE stands for RESPONSIBLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT FOR NEW ENGLAND. We aim to support the New England Community with a VOICE in the rollout of the REZ.
- RED4NE liaise with and represent individual community subgroups
- Advocate, consult with communities and local indigenous groups
- Assist in interpretation and preparation of submissions to Environmental Impact Statements
- Make submissions to government inquiries
- Research to inform and educate our members
- Liaise and lobby local, state and federal government representatives.
- Consult with and lobby Energy Co. and the Department of Planning and Environment
ReD4NE advocate for a reduction of the projected renewable electricity output for New England to a total of 3 Gigawatts in line with the other Renewable Energy Zones.
ReD4NE does not support
Inappropriate development in the wrong location
Irresponsible development with potential negative impacts to the natural environment and broader socio- economic well-being of the New England Community.
Do you know that the New England region has been designated a Renewable Energy Zone (REZNE)? “Great”, you say … but what does it really mean for our Region?
CUMULATIVE IMPACTS
TOO MANY, TOO BIG, TOO CONCENTRATED?
- Approx. 2000 turbines &10’s of millions of solar panels
- Many kilometres of new, extra wide access roads
- Hundreds of km of new 550KV transmission lines from the Hunter to Uralla
- More 330KV lines from projects to the grid
- 300m high turbines proposed in some areas
- Years of major GRIDLOCKS on New England Highway and byways due to multiple projects
- Pressure on limited local resources e.g. water, gravel and sand
- Damage/degradation to Council funded roads
- Pressure on already limited local housing and rental affordability
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
Major land clearing, erosion & road construction
Biodiversity Conflict-Disruption of habitat/ecosystems of threatened flora and fauna: Koalas, Wedge Tail and Little Eagles and delicate Eucalypt Forests etc. – Bird & Bat KILL
Potential to contaminate the Macleay and Murray Darling Catchments due to toxin leakage (from damaged solar panels)
Possible shedding of toxic bisphenol (BPA) compounds from wind blades
Blades/panels aren’t currently fully recyclable
‘Heat Island’ effect of solar projects on local climate
LAND USE IMPACTS
Prime agricultural food and fibre production land re-zoned for INDUSTRIAL SCALE developments
Possible negative impacts on livestock and wildlife health
Impaired ability for aerial and ground firefighting
Reduced access for feral pest control
COMMUNITY IMPACTS
Concerns over minimal consultation
Lack of social licence (community acceptance)
Impaired visual amenity of a unique landscape
Community division and gagging clauses
Mental health impact due to years of uncertainty
Undocumented health impacts e.g. EMR and Noise including infrasound possibly up to 25km
Night-time lighting
ECONOMIC EFFECTS ON THE LOCAL ECONOMY
Unknown impacts on property values, tourism and labour
Almost all Foreign owned – Profits go offshore
Massive tax payer subsidies for all developers
Community $$ benefits disproportional when compared to proponents’ revenue
END-OF-LIFE TOWERS AND PANEL IMPACTS
No upfront bond required for decommissioning and rehabilitation
No meaningful plan for land fill or waste management
Community does not have the resources to dispose of such a massive residue of wind & solar
Decommissioning – Currently up to approximately $700,000 per turbine to remove (By whom?)
High potential to be obsolete within its lifetime
Project ownership often changes hands
How can decommissioning be enforced if project owner is insolvent or in a foreign legal jurisdiction?
ReD4NE 's Mission
1. Pursuit of progressive governance frameworks consistent with the socio-economic interests of the community and respective localised communities -in terms of ensuring the overall strategic fit with the planning profile envisaged for the New England.
2. Pursuit of a rigorous regional land use planning processes that advance the interests of the natural environment and through greater inclusion with the Community including explicit consideration of impacts on community interests, adverse impacts on native vegetation, on biodiversity conservation, on catchment hydrology and management, on water quality, and minimisation bushfire risk and management.
3. Pursuit of fit for purpose planning governance which is more focused on securing a more appropriate balance between the concepts of ‘planning and development ‘and therefore less ‘tick box’ in its process orientation.
4. Pursuit of ethical developer practices and behaviour consistent the imperative of securing social licence through more meaningful and consistent engagement with the impacted Communities.
5. Pursuit of a precautionary application of science in terms of the potential impacts on the natural environment and agricultural production of introduced chemicals and other invasive practices associated with renewable energy deployment.
6. Pursuit on the promotion of intergenerational equity including facilitating financially for sustainable agricultural outcomes and maintenance of land values.
7. Pursuit of more compatible land use planning including broad definition of the preservation of and ownership of sustainable agricultural land.
8. Pursuit of independent research on new considerations and clarity as to the adverse impacts of oversized development including development practices which minimise cumulative impacts from any such over development.
9. Minimises for New England’s natural environment the need for new transmission infrastructure which focuses on more appropriate connectivity pathways including the contemplation of more subterranean connectivity solutions
10. Consistent with ReD4NE’s public benefit agenda the development of Developer Protocols which confirm a conformity with the purposes.
ReD4NE’s public benefit agenda
Increased transparency of developer reputation- both financially and operationally
More robust community consultation frameworks -which move beyond ‘tick box ‘token social licence claims
Promote for more tangible community shared benefits
Increased liability and risk identification and agreed management across all aspects of a project profile
ReD4NE Promotion of intergenerational equity through:
Engagement initiated with respect for the rights and roles of communities as important custodians of both the natural landscape and the socio-economic fabric.
Engagement which focuses on the ‘life of the projects’ – not just in initial assessment and development phases of the project.
Engagement which requires respect for full transparency for the Community in terms of project economics, overall life of the project bankability and benefit sharing; and
Engagement which introduces more scientific certainty and liability for ‘end of project life’ considerations for decommissioning, remediation and securing of a project through the payment of performance bonds.