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Infigen Energy Limited 28 July 2015 Ms Jeanette Radcliffe Committee Secretary Select Committee on Wind Turbines PO Box 6100 Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 Australia Via email to: [email protected] Re: The Committee’s letter to myself dated July 24, 2015 Dear Secretary, Thank you for the opportunity to formally respond to the submission from David and Alida Mortimer. Infigen takes great care and pride in the fact that our wind farm operations enjoy long lasting and overwhelming support in the communities in which we operate. We are disappointed that the Mortimers do not share those views. We note that Infigen Energy has not received, nor is it aware of, any other complaint about the Lake Bonney wind farm, which has had wind turbines operating for over ten years. Analysis undertaken by Infigen Energy has determined that there are approximately 5,700 individuals living within ten kilometres of the Lake Bonney wind farm. Australian wind farms must comply with some of the strictest noise standards in the world. The South Australian EPA, which to our knowledge is the Australian regulator with the most experience regulating wind farm acoustic levels in Australia, has completed three reports measuring wind turbine noise levels at varying frequencies1. The last of the three studies that the South Australian EPA performed, at the Waterloo wind farm, is very similar to the study that the Mortimers are requesting. The SA EPA found no meaningful correlation between wind farm operations and the adverse health effects that residents complained about. We also direct your attention to a study similar to the design the Mortimers have proposed, run by Health Canada, involving 1,238 households located near eighteen different wind turbine developments which found health issues in the local community were not linked to the operation of nearby wind turbines2. This C$2.3 million dollar study is the most comprehensive study into the potential health impacts of wind farms undertaken to date anywhere in the world. 1 http://www.epa.sa.gov.au/environmental_info/noise/types_of_noise/wind_farms http://www.epa.sa.gov.au/environmental_info/noise/types_of_noise/wind_farms/waterloo_wind_farm _environmental_noise_study 2 http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/noise-bruit/turbine-eoliennes/summary-resume-eng.php Infigen Energy rejects the assertion that wind turbines result in detrimental health impacts, in part, because of the independent, credible studies noted above. While the results of formal peer reviewed research that wind turbines do not cause detrimental health impacts are quite compelling, we acknowledge that future industry- wide objective research into this issue may help further inform the community about alleged wind energy health impact concerns. However, Infigen is of the view that such research should be conducted by independent, credible and qualified research professionals utilising best-practice scientific methodology involving large populations. Infigen has in the past, and will in the future, cooperate with research of this nature. It is our view that the research study the Mortimers have requested would be very unlikely to increase the body of knowledge beyond that created by the South Australian EPA and Health Canada studies previously cited. These studies covered the issues the Mortimers have raised and involved many more homes than the personal acoustic and physiological study they have requested. On this basis, Infigen Energy has informed the Mortimers that we will be respectfully declining their request to commission the individual study proposed. Yours faithfully, Jonathan Upson Senior Development & Government Affairs Manager 2 .
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