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Oaklands Hill Wind Farm

Community

Photo of the turbines at Oaklands Hill Wind Farm

Community engagement

During development and construction of the wind farm, AGL engaged in rigorous stakeholder consultation; and we continue to work closely with landowners, the community, and local and state authorities.

Here are some of the things we have done and are doing:

  • an AGL Community Fund supports local projects, with funding allocated through consultation, ranking and agreement with local community associations
  • AGL is committed to ongoing monitoring, offsets and local community investment for the life of the project, to conform to planning permits
  • AGL will continue with its strategy of building long term local partnerships by investing in the local community.

Below are some highlights of how we engage with the community:

AGL was proud to be the major sponsor of the Peaks and Trails Festival of Running for the third year running in 2017. Held in and around Dunkeld, this picturesque event caters to trail enthusiasts of all abilities, with access to beautiful Southern Grampians trails and a number of private trails normally inaccessible to the public.

Sponsored through the Oaklands Hill Wind Farm Community Support Fund, the Festival attracted over 300 competitors, up around 50% on last year. The AGL Ultra Marathon – which covers 50 gruelling kilometres – had 60 entrants.

Australian Ultra Marathon Team member, Kellie Emmerson, dominated the Ladies Open categories, taking out both the Mount Abrupt Challenge (a 6 km run up the mountain) and the Ultra Marathon – on consecutive days … and in record times!

For the first time, a team of AGL runners participated in the event. Rawle Kendall (Accountant, New Energy), Natalie Blair (FP&A Manager, Sales and Marketing) and Hoang Nguyen (Asset Performance Analyst, Wind and Solar) did the business proud. The team was joined by Natalie’s running club mate, Amelia Griffo, after James Bower had to withdraw at the last minute with a broken foot.

The team put in an outstanding effort:

  • Rawle completed the 26km event in 3:12, finishing 27th overall and 11th in his age group
  • Natalie completed the 11km event in 1:13, finishing 21st overall and 4th in her age group
  • Hoang completed the 26km event in 2:52, finishing 15th overall and 8th in his age group
  • Amelia completed the 26km event in 3:06, finishing 22nd overall and 3rd in her age group

 

Hannah Coffey, Community Relations Manager, said that AGL is very proud to be a major sponsor of the Festival.

“We’re in the business of energy and it’s great to partner with an event that so embodies high levels of energy, enthusiasm, determination and drive. AGL is Australia’s largest operator and developer of renewable energy generation, including the nearby Oaklands Hill Wind Farm, and we are committed to supporting the communities in which we operate," she said.

AGL met with Member for Lowan Emma Kealy MP in May 2017. The discussion covered local community engagement and investment from AGL, and the issue regarding mobile reception in the area.

We were pleased to attend the Glenthompson Progress Association Meeting on 3 May 2017, to provide an overview of AGL’s operations and to provide the community with an opportunity to share their views. The Committee discussed the Community Support Fund for Oaklands Hill and opportunities to support local projects. Salinity and Brolga projects were also discussed.

Wind farms and health

For detailed studies on wind farms and health, please visit the Oaklands Hill Wind Farm Documents page.