5/10/2020 Version Number: 02 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS We value your honest feedback and opinions to ensure our project appropriately addresses local values and concerns. Feedback provided is being used to inform assessments and refine the Project design. This Frequently Asked Questions document will be used to respond to questions received about the project. This document will be updated over time to capture new questions. You can click on the following links to go to the question of direct interest to you: What is the Project status? ................................................................................................... 2 Who is Meridian Energy Australia? ....................................................................................... 3 Who is EPS? .......................................................................................................................... 3 What is the Project? ............................................................................................................. 3 What is the history of wind farms in the region and on the site? ......................................... 4 How will the community be engaged and provide input on the proposal?........................... 4 Where is the Project located? ............................................................................................... 5 Why is the Project proposed to be located where it is? ........................................................ 6 Why is the Project being developed? ................................................................................... 6 How far along is the Project in being approved and what is the Project timeline? ............... 7 How many jobs will be created and will you source them locally? ....................................... 7 How else will the community benefit from the Project? ...................................................... 7 Is the Project permanent? .................................................................................................... 8 How do wind farms work? .................................................................................................... 8 How will issues such as fire and pest animals be managed during the life of the Project? ... 8 Will the project facilitate the spread of weeds? ................................................................... 8 How will the Rangoon Wind Farm affect my property value? .............................................. 9 Which roads will be utilised for Project traffic during the construction phase?.................... 9 What are electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and will they interrupt mobile, Internet, WiFi or television signals? .................................................................................................. 10 RANGOON ENERGY PARK CONTACT EMAIL Rangoon Energy Park Pty Ltd PO Box 1639 [email protected] ABN: 94 628 009 889 Melbourne VIC 3001 https://meridianenergy.com.au/rangoonwindfarm/ 0483 193 310 Do EMFs cause or contribute to health impacts? ................................................................ 10 Where will the wind turbines be built and what will they be manufactured from? ........... 11 Do wind farms make noise? ............................................................................................... 11 Is there potential for bird and bat strike? ........................................................................... 12 Will the turbines have lights on them? ............................................................................... 12 Will the turbines cause shadow flicker? ............................................................................. 13 What will the wind farm look like and will I be able to see it from my house, or from the villages of Ben Lomond and Glencoe? .................................................................... 13 What is the proposed turbine height? ................................................................................ 13 What are the heights of the turbines used in other projects in the New England area? ..... 13 Can the Project be modified/increased in scale over time without further approval and opportunity for input by the community?.............................................................. 13 Will the project impact on dung beetle populations? ......................................................... 14 Are aerial agriculture operators being considered? ............................................................ 14 Will trees be impacted as a result of the project? .............................................................. 14 Why is the Project sometimes referred to as an ‘Energy Park’?.......................................... 15 Will the land be re-zoned or re-classified?.......................................................................... 15 What is the end of life arrangements for the wind turbines and how are they disposed of? ............................................................................................................................... 15 What is the Project status? The project meets the criteria as State Significant Development (SSD) and will follow the SSD planning pathway. The project is currently in the assessment stage with specialists having prepared the Scoping Report and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) report for submission to the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment. The Scoping Report was lodged late June 2020 and has been followed by the release of the Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) in August 2020. The SEAR’s outline the matters to be assessed in the project EIS report and can be found at https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/project/37936 Page 2 The EIS is anticipated to be lodged with the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) in March 2021. The community will have the opportunity to review the assessment documentation after March 2021 and provide their views on the project during the public exhibition period for the proposal. More about the process can be found on the DPIE website: https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/assessment/state-significant- development/ssd-process Who is Meridian Energy Australia? Meridian Energy Australia (MEA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Meridian Energy Limited (Meridian), Australasia’s largest 100% renewable energy generator and the largest electricity generator in New Zealand. MEA own and operate two wind farms and 3 hydro-electric power stations in Australia and sell electricity and gas to customers in South Australia, Victoria, NSW and Queensland through their retail company Powershop Australia. Who is EPS? Meridian has appointed EPS as Development Service Provider for the project. EPS is an Australian-owned and based renewable energy company providing relevant expertise for the creation and development of solar and wind projects in Australia. What is the Project? Rangoon Wind Farm is a utility scale wind and battery storage plant with an installed capacity of up to 130MW. The project includes the following key components: • Between 23 and 26 wind turbines, each with three blades mounted on a tubular steel tower are proposed for the project. Design works are underway to determine the number, size and location of wind turbines and battery energy storage system; • Two substations and transmission connections – linking the project to the existing TransGrid 132kV Armidale to Glen Innes transmission line and the Essential Energy 66kV Glen Innes to Guyra distribution line; Page 3 • Battery Energy Storage System – 100MW/400MWh to be located at one or either of the two project substations; and • Associated infrastructure including equipment storage facilities, access tracks, permanent monitoring masts, laydown areas and construction compounds. The total 130MW wind plus battery storage project will feed into the National Electricity Market (NEM), generating enough renewable energy to power ~58,000 residential homes per year. What is the history of wind farms in the region and on the site? Due to the wind resource of the region, landholder support and location of previous wind farm proposals, the Project has evolved from two previously proposed wind farms. Ben Lomond wind farm included approximately 9,990 hectares with a total of 98 wind turbine generators across 13 privately owned rural landholdings within the Glen Innes Severn and Guyra Shire local government areas. Following the issuing of SEARs an EIS was prepared but not lodged with the former Department of Planning (now DPIE). The RWF North area overlaps the old Ben Lomond wind farm with approximately 4 – 5 associated landholdings in common. Box Hill wind farm covered approximately 1000 hectares with a total of up to 12 wind turbine generators across privately owned rural landholdings within the Guyra Shire local government area. Box Hill wind farm was granted development consent (Development Approval No. 29- 2004/2005) on 9 February 2005 by the then Guyra Shire Council and has achieved physical commencement. The RWF South area and the Box Hill wind farm are the same site located on the same landholding. The two previously proposed wind farms conducted various assessments including a wind resource assessment in each area that identified several elevated ridgelines that had the potential for the installation of wind turbines. Turbine layouts were prepared for the previous wind farms which included a larger number of turbines than what is