2 Springdale Solar Farm.

Newsletter #2 December 2017

First Community Information Drop-in Session

We held our first Community Information Drop-in Session in the Sutton Hall on Thursday 7 December
between 1 – 3pm and 5 – 8pm.

We were pleased with the turn-out to the session, and the interest shown by neighbours and the wider
community. We were encouraged by the broad community support for the project and welcomed the
honest discussions about the community concerns.

The issues at the community session were consistent with those that had been raised to us in our face
to face discussions with neighbouring landowners.

Key issues raised were:

• The footprint & layout for the solar farm
• Any visual impact
• Any impact on the value of neighbouring land
• The level of construction related traffic and conditions of local roads
• Health

We will continue to look into these issues and respond to them. We will do this through our newsletters
(see over for FAQs), our project website, our face to face meetings with landowners and business
owners and our community sessions. Our second Drop In Community Information session will be
in February 2018 and we will publish and share details of that date early next year.

Springdale Solar Farm is inviting the community to contact us If they are interested in investing directly
into the project. With enough interest, we will talk to the community about the various options of
investment. This could mean the Sutton community will be the first community investment into large
scale solar farm in Australia. Please send an email to info@renewestate.com.au to indicate your interest.

Contact details
Please feel free to call our office to speak with a member of Office phone number 02 84599704
our team if you’d like more information or have any questions. www.springdalesolarfarm.com.au
 The DA for this project must be accompanied by an
EIS because it is a State Significant Development.
The DA and EIS process is summarised below.

DA & EIS is placed on public

exhibition for 30 days, and
Renew Estate prepares Renew Estate prepares EIS seeks feedback from the
Preliminary Environmental and consults with the community and stakeholders The DA is approved
Assessment community and stakeholders Early 2018 – or rejected
Complete In progress Timing to be confirmed Timing to be confirmed

DP&E issues Environmental Renew Estate lodges Renew Estate lodges a

Assessment Requirements which DA & EIS to DP&E response to submissions
specify what the EIS must consider Early 2018 – Timing to be confirmed
Complete Timing to be confirmed

This period provides

DP&E – NSW Department of Planning and Environment the community an
DA – Development Application opportunity to make
EIS – Environmental Impact Statement a formal submission

Below are answers to some of those issues raised During construction, a Bushfire
in the many conversations we have had with the Management Plan will be used
to manage fire risks. Any risk of
host community, as well as questions that are fire will also be minimised by
frequently asked about solar farms maintaining an asset protection
zone, low vegetation fuel levels,
What about the visual impact and the effect on the character of on-site water supplies and
the local landscape? appropriate firefighting access.
The layout of the solar farm is being designed to reduce the visual All other buildings on site will
impact on neighbouring landowners as much as possible. The be constructed using low
visual impact on neighbouring landowners and road users will also combustibility or non-
be reduced by planting screening where possible along the edge of combustible materials.
the solar farm and at other locations within the site. The substation
for the solar farm will also be screened and will be lower in height How will the project benefit the
than the existing steel pylon transmission line that crosses the site. local community?
We are committed to sharing
Will the solar farm affect land values in the area? the benefits of our project with
There is very little information on the impact of solar farms on the community. Electricity
property values, as solar farms are relatively new to Australia. produced by large scale solar
However, there are studies into wind farms, which have a longer PV projects is one of the lowest
history in Australia and which have higher visibility and noise cost forms of electricity in NSW.
emissions than solar, when operational. One of our goals is to deliver
reduced electricity proves to
The NSW Department of Lands’ analysis of property sales data consumers in the community
found that wind farms did not negatively affect property values and the surrounding area. We
in most cases. In addition to that, a report commissioned by the are currently in discussions with
Office of Environment and Heritage in 2016 concluded that the electricity retailers and we expect
available data does not show any significant impact to the value to be able to produce more
of agricultural properties. details of this offer early next
year. The project will also generate
Will there be an increased fire risk? up to 200 direct jobs during peak
The solar panels and supporting structures will be largely constructed construction and up to 5 full time
of silicon, glass, aluminum & steel and will have very low flammability. equivalent jobs during operation.

Contact details
Please feel free to call our office to speak with a member of Office phone number 02 84599704
our team if you’d like more information or have any questions. www.springdalesolarfarm.com.au
Will local service providers benefit from the solar farm? Why is this solar farm located on
The employment benefits extend through the local supply chains this site and not elsewhere?
to fuel supply, vehicle servicing, hotels/motels, B&Bs, cafés, There are many reasons
pubs, catering and cleaning companies, tradespersons, tool and for the selected location of
equipment suppliers and many other businesses. Experience from the Springdale Solar Farm,
other large scale solar farm projects show that more than half including the rare opportunity
of purchases for the projects came from local suppliers. for connection into significant
existing electrical infrastructure
Will local contractors & businesses have the opportunity to be across the site (132kV and 330kV
involved in the project? transmission lines). The area has
We are committed to delivering on the promise that money will suitable solar resources and is
cascade into the community. We will build into our construction close to the growing electrical
tender process a requirement that the principal contractor will demands of the region, which
source a minimum level of goods and services from local suppliers. has been identified as a potential
We strongly encourage contractors and businesses to visit our renewable energy zone by the
project website and register their interest at Australian Energy Operator.
www.springdalesolarfarm.com.au
Is the solar farm a waste
What is the Community Fund? of good agricultural land?
Renew Estate is committed to supporting the host communities The land is currently used for
where our projects are located. We are offering a community fund grazing. This will not alter as
to the local community to Springdale solar farm. sheep will be able to graze
under and around the panels.
Some good ideas have been received already from the Community The proposed solar farm will
Information Session and we encourage you to visit our website or neither affect farming operations
send us an email with your ideas as to how this fund can be spent. on neighbouring properties nor
The purpose and the mechanics of the fund will be identified and have any long-term effect on the
coordinated by Renew Estate in conjunction with the community agricultural potential or land use
and Yass Valley Council. of the site, beyond the life of the
solar farm.

Contact details
Please feel free to call our office to speak with a member of Office phone number 02 84599704
our team if you’d like more information or have any questions. www.springdalesolarfarm.com.au
What traffic impact will there be? What happens after the solar
Local residents neighbouring the project site will continue to farm ceases operating?
be consulted regarding the timing and impacts of traffic in the Solar farms typically operate
build-up to and during construction. To ensure road safety, for about 30 years. Once de-
transport routes, any upgrade works and comprehensive commissioned all infrastructure
traffic management plans will be developed in consultation is removed and the site will be
with the relevant road authority and the NSW Department of returned to that same state (as
Environment and Planning. far as possible) that it was before
construction started. The project
When can I raise any issues I have with this project formally? and the works will have no
Neighbours to our proposed site and the wider community long-term effect on agricultural
have been actively consulted and we will continue to consult productivity or land use options.
throughout the life cycle of this project. We encourage the
community to continue to engage with us. Community Are there any heath issues
members will also have an opportunity to provide a formal associated with solar farms?
submission to the NSW Department of Environment and There are no health issues
Planning during the exhibition period for the project. linked to solar panels. Similar
to all electrical appliances,
The exhibition period will last for 30 days. The commencement a solar farm will produce
of the exhibition period will be advertised in local publications electromagnetic fields (EMF).
and on our website. We will also individually notify all of those The proposed project is a
people we have on our engagement register (neighbours, magnitude smaller than the
landowners and business owners). All planning documents, existing Transgrid lines and
including a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement, will not materially impact EMF
will be available online and in community spaces. levels. Nonetheless EMF will
be evaluated as part of the
Will weeds and pests be controlled at the project site? environmental assessment,
Control of weeds and pests will be undertaken before and during guided by the standards of the
construction construction and will continue throughout the life Australian Radiation Protection
of the solar farm. and Nuclear Safety Agency.

Contact details
Please feel free to call our office to speak with a member of Office phone number 02 84599704
our team if you’d like more information or have any questions. www.springdalesolarfarm.com.au