GPWF - Community Update December 2024 (1)

Project Update Issue 26 DECEMBER 2024

Contents

Welcome to the December 2024 issue of the Golden Plains Wind Farm Community Update This newsletter will keep you informed about what’s happening on the Golden Plains Wind Farm and within the surrounding communities. If there’s anything you’d like to hear about, drop us a line via info@goldenplainswindfarm.com.au

Welcome Golden Plains Wind Farm West Road & Intersection Upgrades (GWPF-West) Construction Update GPWF-East Community Update Community Benefits Program

Golden Plains Wind Farm would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. We will be closed from 21 December to 5 January, 2025 but look forward to working with you again in 2025.

Golden Plains Wind Farm - West The second stage of the wind farm project is progressing well. Excavations works are continuing with 43 of the 93 completed, while anchor cages and steel reinforcement works are also progressing.

12 of the 93 foundations have been poured, with 3 of these already backfilled. See the below table for full details of the progress!

Current Access Track Progress

Progress Snapshot 43 wind turbine sites excavated

Clear/Strip topsoil

30 km of 60 km

Subgrade treatment 29 km of 60 km

26 blindings complete

Base Course and Pavement

20 km of 60 km

50% 48%

33%

26 sets of anchor cages installed

Steel reinforcement installed in 26 foundations

12 foundation pours complete

3 foundations now backfilled

Foundation excavations & pours for Golden Plains Wind Farm - West

Lime stabilising at collector station Golden Plains Wind Farm - West

Golden Plains Wind Farm - West Road and Intersection Upgrades Over the course of 2024, there have been significant works undertaken on many public roads and intersections, to support Golden Plains Wind Farm construction activities. These include two Department of Transport & Planning (DTP) owned roads. The community have seen upgrades completed on: Public Road upgrades

Two Bridges Road Gillets Road Kennersleys Road Mill Road Boyles Road Jacobs Road Littlehales Road In addition to this, there have also been upgrade works completed on Rokewood-Shelford Road and Colac-Ballarat Road.

Public intersections upgrades in 2024 include thirteen (13) intersections! These have either been completed already or will be completed by the end of 2024 which is a fantastic result.

Intersection upgrades have taken place on: Rokewood-Skipton Road / Two Bridges Road Rokewood-Skipton Road / Mill Road *Will be completed by the end of year Rokewood-Skipton Road / Boyles Road *Will be completed by the end of year Colac-Ballarat Road / Two Bridges Road Colac-Ballarat Road / Gillets Road Colac-Ballarat Road / Pitfield-Cressy Road *Will be completed by the end of year Mill Road / Gillets Road Mill Road / Kennersleys Road Boyles Road / Littlehales Road Boyles Road / Gillets Road Pitfield-Cressy Road / Jacobs Road Colac-Ballarat Road / Two Bridges Pitfield-Cressy Road / Littlehales Road Road after upgrade Pitfield-Cressy Road / Boyles Road

Boyles Road / Gillets Road before (left) and after (right) upgrade

Construction update (GPWF-East) Golden Plains Wind Farm - East The status of the first stage of the wind farm project is summarised below. Power is now being exported to the grid as we progress through the commissioning process with the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO). It is expected that deliveries and turbine install works will continue in early 2025.

All Civil and Electrical works have now been completed with the exception of minor tidy up and rehabilitation works.

GPWF-East completed turbines

Access track rehabilitation works on GPWF-E

Wind Turbine Progress Pre-Installation

91 of 122

Main installation 63 of 122 Commissioned

23 of 122

75% 52%

19%

Community Office Visit us at the Hesse Health building on Ferrars Street in Rokewood. Open on Thursdays, everyone is welcome to drop by, share a cuppa and a chat. Please contact Mark Bruty on 0460 304 053 or markb@w-wind.com.au

Community Update Community Grants Program ROUND 2 OPEN UNTIL 12 JANUARY 2025 The second round of Community Grants Program funding for 2024 is now open. If you have a project or initiative, an event or program that you require funding for, now is the time to apply. We have seen so many fantastic projects delivered within the community and surrounds, let’s add to that growing number!

A huge thanks to all those community groups and organisations who continue to drive such strong applications and advocate for such wonderful communitybased initiatives. We look forward to seeing what the next round of applications has in store.

Community Events

We continue to thank the Community Reference Group (CRG) for their time and effort in administering the Community Grants Program, and their strategic vision for the community.

As you would know, the decision was made to cancel the Community Christmas Event for 2024.

However, we are working with the local community to identify other opportunities to come together in the New Year, along with the Community Easter event. Stay tuned! If you have any ideas and / or suggestions, please contact Mark Bruty on 0460 304 053 or markb@w-wind.com.au

Events delivered and supported by Golden Plains Wind Farm

COMMUNITY BENEFIT PROGRAMS COMMITTED TO DELIVERING LOCAL BENEFITS Golden Plains Wind Farm is committed to sharing the benefits of the project with the local community.

Over the past few years, the Golden Plains Wind Farm team have been working closely with landholders, immediate neighbours, and the wider community to identify opportunities to share the benefits of the project.

These collaborations have led to the creation of a series of community benefit programs that respond to the needs and opportunities that the community has communicated as being the most valuable.

We encourage you to contact Mark Bruty from the Golden Plains Wind Farm team with any questions about our community programs via phone on 0460 304 053 or email at markb@w-wind.com.au.

COMMUNITY ENERGY PROGRAM Our Community Energy Program provides electricity benefits to neighbours of the wind farm while minimising the local communities’ carbon footprint.

The Community Energy Program includes a scheme to offset electricity costs for registered and habitable dwellings located within 3km of a constructed turbine tower, to an amount equal to the annual usage of an average Victorian home.

Participants will be required to sign-up with Energy Locals, Golden Plains Wind Farm’s preferred retail partner. Once participants have processed a change to the new retail provider, credits will be added to their account monthly to offset electricity bills.

FREE ENERGY AUDIT Eligible customers can receive a free energy audit as part of the benefits program. These will be conducted by Ephe on behalf of Geelong Sustainability.

An experienced assessor from Ephe, will visit your home to evaluate energy performance and provide energy assessments that are designed to understand how your home uses energy.

The audit will result in tailored recommendations to help reduce energy consumption in your home.​

Visit Community Energy Program

Visit Energy Locals

LANDSCAPING PROGRAM Owners of residential dwellings that have a view of the Golden Plains Wind Farm and are located within 5km of a wind turbine are invited to participate in our Landscaping Program. This voluntary program is now available for eligible residents. Please contact the team via info@goldenplainswindfarm.com to book your initial assessment now, or contact Mark Bruty on 0460 304 053 to discuss in more detail.

Visit our local office 9am-5pm Thursdays or by appointment: Hesse Health (55 Ferrars St, Rokewood) • Ph. 0460 304 053

Workers recognised for quick thinking and assistance in Rokewood As we head into another warm summer, fire safety is once again at the forefront of safety messaging at the Golden Plains Wind Farm and also the surrounding community. When a fire started on ColacBallarat Road, it had the potential to become a disaster, however some quick thinking and assistance from MPK employees working on the Golden Plains Wind Farm ensured the damage was minimal, and a potential crisis was averted.

During a toolbox meeting on-site last week, the twenty people who assisted in extinguishing the scrub fire were recognised and presented with a small token of appreciation on behalf of the project and community. We would like to thank the following people for their commitment to safety and the community they work in: Greg Whitford (CCS) Paul Drew (big al water cart) Greg (Balwyn water cart) Mick Jolly (MPK water cart) Beau Ketchen (MPK water Trailer) James Coates (MPK water cart) Mark Spiteri (MPK water trailer) Sam Kaye (back of fire truck) Bob Conroy (MPK water trailer) Cam Pitkethley (MPK water trailer) Sam Norman (MPK water trailer) Hunter Hayden (MPK water trailer) Frazer Cocking (knap sac) Josh Gamble (knap sac) Damian Lubbe (knap sac) Alex Lawrence (MPK tele handler) Paul Wells (back of local fire truck) Tom Lindsay (MPK grader) Matt Swanwick ( MPK grader) Robert Frazer (MPK water trailer) Ash Green (Grader)

Just a big thank you to all the boys who attended the fire today on BallaratColac Rd Rokewood. Please pass on heart felt thanks for swiftly getting it under control. So very grateful to them all for the water and graders.

Thank you Thank you Thank you

🙏

Jill Smith, Rokewood

info@goldenplainswindfarm.com.au

(03) 5421 9999

goldenplainswindfarm.com.au

facebook.com/goldenplainswindfarm