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THE ALPINE
BRIGHT - POREPUNKAH - MT BEAUTY - TAWONGA - TAWONGA SOUTH Wednesday, March 20, 2024
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HAINES BUDGET WISHLIST PERFECT PRODUCE: Bright P-12 College students (from left) Banjo, Kira and Sam are delighted with the school’s vegetable patch, and a new project will mean even more opportunity for students to develop their green thumbs. ■ STORY PAGE 3. PHOTO: Brodie Everist
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Battery blowback intensifies BY BRODIE EVERIST beverist@ nemedia.com.au
THE multi-purpose room at the Dederang Recreation Reserve was again filled to bursting with over 200 attendees at the second community meeting on the Dederang Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) proposal. Onlookers listened through open windows and
Communityy concern over storage g p proposals p stood on the balcony as campaigners and Victorian Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie spoke against the BESS, followed by questions and statements from attendees. The meeting follows the sudden emergence of a new BESS proposal near the Dederang substation by solar manufacturer Trina Solar. Friends of the Kiewa and
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Alpine Valleys spokesperson Sharon McEvoy said they are campaigning for responsible renewables in appropriate areas, but the location of the proposed installations is not suitable. “The Dederang BESS and now the Kiewa Valley BESS are sources of concern and uncertainty for our local community and the whole Kiewa Valley,”
she said to the crowd. “We care about the environment, the waterways and the land where we live and work. “The government is sacrificing the wellbeing of rural communities and natural landscapes, our sense of environments and our agricultural land in the pursuit of short term, clean energy goals.”
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Ms McEvoy and fellow campaigner Paul Ingram outlined alleged risks from the proposed installations, including toxic fume emissions in the event of a fire. “The thermal runaway can still occur when batteries are shut down, and when they are fully discharged,” Mr Ingram said. “In bushfire situations, chaos can prevail. “How will local firefighting crews and those who
come from other parts of Victoria and New South Wales and beyond help fight bushfires in this area if one both of these BESS are on fire, and the toxic fumes they emit are in the fire front mix.” Senator McKenzie said installations like the Dederang BESS are being proposed across the state. “I’m here to tell you that you are not alone, Dederang,” she said. ■ Continued page 2