Report on solar farms due next month

The fates of four largescale solar farm applications for the City of Greater Shepparton will become clearer next month.

An independent planning panel’s report into four solar farm projects for the Goulburn Valley has been handed down to Victoria’s planning minister, the News understands.

Findings soon: An independent planning panel hearing
 into four solar farm proposals for the Greater Shepparton
area was held earlier this year.

A Victorian Government spokesperson said the planning panel had considered the four Greater Shepparton applications, and their findings would help inform new guidelines.

‘‘We’re developing clear guidelines for the assessment of solar farm applications in Victoria — to give locals certainty and support jobs,’’ the spokesperson said.

The News understands the minister is considering the recommendations with the report set to be released in September.

The government will consider the findings of the panel, as well as actions in other states, to develop solar farm guidelines that work for Victoria, the News understands.

A planning panel hearing into four solar proposals for the Greater Shepparton area wrapped up in May.

Across five sitting days, it heard from landholders, objectors, water authorities, planning experts, the council and the solar developers.

The panel had previously been urged by several submitters on the need for a clear set of guidelines around solar farm proposals to be developed.

The proceedings follow Planning Minister Richard Wynne’s office calling in the four proposals after the council had requested their outcome be determined by the minister’s office; an outcome the council had welcomed as ‘’sensible’’.

The panel is also set to be providing advice to the energy minister about how future solar farm applications will be assessed in Victoria, the News understands.

The applications for solar farm proposals in Lemnos, Tatura East, Congupna and Tallygaroopna constitute hundreds of millions of dollars in development costs with the projects estimated to produce hundreds of megawatts of power.

But there are concerns about the best use of prime agricultural land and fears large-scale solar farms could have an impact on nearby farming practices.

Following recommendations being handed down by the panel, the minister can approve, reject or green light the permits, with conditions attached.

Councillors had said the proposals were problematic for the council to determine.

Chief among the council’s concern with determining the applications was whether the loss of productive agricultural land for a solar farm produces acceptable planning outcomes.

Story by Thomas Moir The Shepparton News - “Report on solar farms due next month.”

Wet, warm start to winter for Australia

The Bureau of Meteorology’s latest seasonal forecast is predicting the start of winter to be wet and warm for large swathes of Australia.

Wetter-than-average conditions are expected across the southeast between next month and July, with daytime temperatures forecast to be warmer than usual.

The bureau’s latest three monthly climate outlook comes after a series of sweltering days across NSW, Victoria and South Australia where April temperatures soared to record highs.

Senior climatologist Lynette Bettio said the forecast reflected warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures around New Zealand and in the Tasman sea.

‘‘This may cause lower pressures over eastern Australia with a swing towards above average rainfall in the far southeast,’’ she said on Thursday.

‘‘Northern Australia is also likely to receive above average rainfall, however we are coming into the dry season across the north so we don’t need large rainfall totals to exceed the median.

‘‘Days and nights are forecast to be warmer than average across the south and cooler than average across parts of northern Australia, especially in Queensland.’’ — AAP

AAP story from The Shepparton News - “Wet, warm start to winter for Australia."

Northern Territory's largest onshore gas producer to increase exploration

While Territorians await the final report from the inquiry into hydraulic fracking, to be released next month, the NT's largest onshore gas producer is ramping up production.

Central Petroleum's Operations Manager James van
 Rooyen checks the East Mereenie number 7 well.

Central Petroleum will be drilling up to four new wells in March, in an effort to source gas to fill the Northern Gas Pipeline.

The $800 million pipeline will run from Tennant Creek to Mt Isa, and is due to pipe its first gas at the end of the year.

As Central Petroleum use conventional methods to extract the gas, rather than unconventional extraction, or 'fracking', the current NT moratorium in place does not apply to their wells.

Read the ABC News story by Katrina Beavan - “Northern Territory's largest onshore gas producer to increase exploration.”

Getting you hands dirty,, fodder for the mind, sustenance for the body, and setting GVEG's agenda

Get your hands a little dirty, share the experience with some like-minded souls, enjoy some fodder for the mind, along with some sustenance for the body, and help set the Goulburn Valley Environment Group’s (GVEG) agenda for the year ahead all in just one day next month.

A community planting day starting at Rushworth’s Railway Reserve at 10:00 am on Saturday, September 23, will be a prelude to the environment group’s annual meeting that begins at 12:30 pm.

The native wildflower planting and celebration of the diversity of species in Rushworth’s box-ironbark forest near the skate park on the Bendigo-Murchison Road will be made a simple as possible with morning tea, gloves, and tools being provided.

The GVEG annual meeting will follow at 12:30pm at the Rushworth Community House in High St at which there will be discussion about the removal of feral horses from Barmah National Park and the fallout from the recent Four Corners program that exposed the misuse of water in the Murray Darling Basin.

All interested are invited to attend.

EnergyAustralia follows AGL by announcing electricity price hikes across the country

A second major energy retailer has unveiled big price hikes in gas and electricity from next month, just one week after AGL announced increases of up to $600 a year in some states.

SA Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis said the energy retailers were 'profiteering'.

EnergyAustralia has announced electricity price rises of close to 20 per cent for residential and business customers in both South Australia and New South Wales from July 1.

The combined electricity and gas bill of an average household in SA would increase by $470 a year in SA and $379 a year in NSW.

EnergyAustralia said electricity price hikes in Queensland would be contained to an average 7.3 per cent, due mainly to the Queensland Government's direction to the State Government-owned distribution network to keep prices low.

Read the ABC News story - “EnergyAustralia follows AGL by announcing electricity price hikes across the country."