Wangaratta Chronicle 231023

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TODAY

20o Mostly sunny

27o 16o 19o TUE

WED

THURS

www.wangarattachronicle.com.au

Monday, October 23, 2023

Phone (03) 5723 0100

$1.80 INC. GST

Aussie muscle cars coming to Reid Street

HOPING FOR SAFER PATH WANGARATTA Mum Vanichya Contessa enjoys biking her daughter Tash to Wangaratta District Specialist School. But she is hoping Wangaratta council can help make it easier for her, and other pedestrians, by providing a safe path linking Talgai Drive to the Yarrawonga Road bike path. ■ Full story page 5 PHOTO: Kurt Hickling

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Cemetery looking for friends

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Magpies unveil new recruits

SPORT

SOLAR QUERIES CFA captain p seeks further consultation on operational p response p to p proposed p solar farm

A KING Valley CFA captain has called for additional consultation on how the local brigade would proceed in the event of a fire at a proposed 1400 acre solar farm at Meadow Creek. The $750m development is forecast to host up to 330MW of energy and power as many as 110,000 homes, as part of an increasing focus on

BY RYAN MALCOLM rmalcolm@ nemedia.com.au

renewables in North East Victoria. However, as community members continue to raise questions around how the project could operate on bushfire-prone land in close proximity to major

Lets Get Social www.johnwohlersjewellers.com.au

water courses at Hurdle Creek and the King River, Bobinawarrah CFA captain Shane Wilson has called for further clarification on how to proceed in the event of a fire at the solar farm. The 40-year CFA veteran said the local brigade “was flying by the seat of (their) pants” without clear instruction and training around how to manage the site, which borders the

existing Bobinawarrah CFA shed and town hall. “There’s been nothing – I’ve spoken to the local CFA blokes but they’ve told me there are no regulations they can go out and say to the people, because there’s no government regulation – which seems like putting the cart before the horse,” he said. “The big concern is… if this lithium battery gets on

fire, then water won’t put it out, and we’re talking about a big battery of (250MW), or a lot of batteries to get to that capacity, and that’s the biggest worry as far as we’re concerned, apart from not liking the idea of having a solar farm next door to us. “The fires are the biggest concern for the neighbourhood – we’re going to have 1400 (acres of) panels, and who knows

what sort of toxic smoke is going to come out of them if they do get on fire.” A CFA spokesperson said the fire authority was constantly assessing changing environments and circumstances, and said it had recently introduced a new district operating procedure (DOP) for responding to solar farm fires. ■ Continued page 2

A FAMILY TRADITION OF WATCHMAKERS AND JEWELLERS SINCE 1914

59 Murphy Street, Wangaratta Ph (03) 5721 2477


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