Dutson Downs windfarm engagement - Update 17 February
Earlier this week, we kicked off a conversation with our customers and community to find out whether they think the prospect of establishing a wind farm on land we manage at Dutson Downs is a good idea.
We’ve already received lots of well-balanced, thoughtful feedback, both for and against. The insights we gather through these conversations will help to inform our next steps.
To make sure we get the best read on what our community really thinks and feels about the idea, it’s important to be across the facts.
The facts:
We have no plans to establish a windfarm, at this stage. We’re not proposing one yet, either. We’re starting an early conversation with our community about whether they think it’s a good idea, or not, and the reasons why they feel that way, before we give it further consideration.
There's been a great deal of interest in wind farms on the east coast of Gippsland and in our community for some time. We expect it will continue to be an ongoing conversation into the future. We’re looking to understand what our customers and communities think before we form a position on whether a wind farm on land we manage at Dutson Downs would be a good idea, or not.
Like with any potential new energy project, there are pros and cons. One of the possible benefits could be operational savings, which could help to put downward pressure on customer bills. On the other hand, there are potential issues to consider like amenity and environmental impacts. We want to understand how the community feels about all of these issues and more.
Our organisation is owned by the Victorian Government and we don’t make a profit. We’re an essential service provider and our funding comes from customer bills. We do generate revenue from our commercial organics and agribusiness operations, which is used to help put downward pressure on customer bills. A windfarm could potentially have a similar impact by reducing our operating costs.
We haven’t formed a position yet on whether the a wind farm at Dutson Downs is a good idea. Community sentiment is a key consideration in arriving at that point. If we find that it’s feasible, there are many different studies and approvals and that would need to happen before a wind farm could become a reality, including environmental. This process would take several years and we wouldn’t commence it until we know what our community thinks.
Your views are important to us and will help to inform our decision-making on the next steps. The best way to do so is to complete the survey. If you have questions and would like to chat with us to find out more, you can call in and have a chat with us at one of our upcoming drop-in sessions. You can also attend our online information session on 28 February.
The best place to find accurate, up-to-date information about what we’re considering and the community conversations we’re having is at our website:www.gippswater.com.au/windfarm-survey.
We’ll be holding in person drop-in sessions at:
Longford - Near the Lakeview General Store on Friday 17 February between 2pm and 5pm.
Seaspray - Foreshore Road (near the public toilets) on Saturday 18 February between 10am and 1pm.
Loch Sport - Opposite Foodworks on Friday 24 February between 2pm and 5pm.
Golden Beach - Golden Beach Picnic Area on Saturday 25 February between 10am and 1pm.
