One of Oberon's most well-known figures will be hoping to guide how a major investment from a wind farm project can be spent by the community.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Glen Stewart has been appointed the community representative for The Pines Wind Farm's $7.5 billion renewable energy project.
In his role as community representative, Mr Stewart, who has called Oberon home for close to three decades, will head up the $5 million major legacy project fund, which will be funded by the wind farm, if it is approved.
He's encouraging locals to put their hands up for the advisory committee that will guide how funding is invested.
"The Pine Wind Farm has offered, if the project goes ahead, to fund a legacy project for $5 million," he said.
"What we're attempting to is to get a group of motivated people who are interested in their community to join a committee, so that the committee has projects lined up if the project goes ahead.
"If that's five years down the track, we will have all these projects lined up. We'll have them ready, so that we know what's going on and we can present them and say: 'These are the projects that we would like to have funded'."
The former manager of the Commonwealth Bank branches at Oberon and Lithgow and now a personal financial advisor, Mr Stewart's role as a community representative is a casual paid job.
He said the financial input from The Pines Wind Farm would make a "big difference".
"I'm really interested in leaving a legacy that goes beyond us and our children," he said.
"So getting some projects established in the LGA will make a big difference. And I think the $5 million that they've offered is quite considerable. If we either have one big project or a couple of small ones, it'll just be fantastic for the local area."
Despite The Pines Wind Farm project receiving backlash within the Oberon community, Mr Stewart said he hasn't received any push-back from his new gig.
"Everybody that I've spoken to is quite keen for the legacy project to go ahead," he said.
"A lot of people have given me some ideas about what they think should happen, and I've encouraged them to join the committee as well.
"Even if you're not happy with the wind farm, it doesn't mean you haven't got an idea that can help the community.
"So being on the committee doesn't mean that you're the wind farm's number one fan. It just means you're keen for the community and you want to get a project up and running."
Mr Stewart was named the Oberon Citizen of the Year in 2019.
He's been a member of the Oberon Show Society for almost the entire time he's lived in the community, and is a life member and the current president.
He is also a member of the Oberon Rotary Club and the Oberon Connect Committee.
"Any time there's a community involvement, I like to be thoroughly involved," he said.
The wind farm project
If given the green light, The Pines Wind Farm project would power 1.25 million homes in NSW, supplying around 10 per cent of the state's electricity demand, all without requiring additional investment in the state's transmission system.
Initial investigations began in 2024, and the project has now moved into the planning and approvals phase, expected to take three years, starting with the preparation of a project scoping report for the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure.
The project is planning to erect approximately 250 wind turbines within the permit area, which includes parts of Mount David State Forest, Gurnang State Forest and sections of the Vucan State Forest, south of Black Springs.
"This area has good wind resources and there's a large transmission line here already, so the build would be at low cost," TagEnergy managing partner Andrew Riggs previously told this masthead. TagEnergy is investigating the sites for the turbines, alongside Stromlo Energy.
The grassroots Oberon Against Wind Towers (OAWT) group has been strongly campaigning against wind renewable projects in the region, claiming, amongst other reasons, that the area is prime agricultural land, that the wind towers they will be visible from vast distances, and the local roads will be severely disturbed during the build.
