Coonerang Wind Farm launches Neighbour Benefits Program to share financial benefits locally

Someva Renewables, the 100% Australian owned renewable energy company behind the proposed Coonerang Wind Farm, has today announced the proposed wind farm’s Neighbour Benefits Program.

The voluntary program is designed to share the potential financial benefits of the proposed wind farm with local neighbours and is available to residents with a dwelling up to 3.5 kilometres away from a turbine.

The Neighbour Benefits Program will provide annual cash payments over the estimated 32-year operational life of the wind farm, should it be constructed and approved. This will be comprised of a base payment, and tailored payments based on residents’ proximity to and view of the proposed wind farm. For example, a neighbour living 1.7km from a turbine could receive $17,250 each year for 32 years (plus annual CPI indexation). This means the total of neighbour benefit payments would be over $830,000.

Letters and emails with more information on the program have been distributed to local residents and the proposed Coonerang Wind Farm team is now meeting with eligible neighbours to explore how they can benefit.

Someva Renewables’ Managing Director Jamie Chivers said the company is committed to ensuring the financial and economic benefits of the proposed wind farm are shared broadly with the community, particularly neighbours to the proposed project.

“The proposed Coonerang Wind Farm is being shaped in partnership with the local community, and this program is about making sure neighbours share directly in the benefits,” said Mr Chivers.

“By providing annual, long-term cash payments, the Neighbour Benefits Program can support families, help strengthen local farming businesses and provide a reliable source of income that stays within the local community.”

If approved and constructed, the proposed Coonerang Wind Farm could be operational by 2029. The wind farm would create 127 full time jobs through construction with an additional 18 ongoing local jobs during operation. A Community Benefits Fund is also being designed in collaboration with the Snowy Monaro Regional Council and the community to provide ongoing funding for local priorities.

“Over the past few years, we’ve seen growing interest and support from the local community for this project. We’ve also heard clearly that locals want the proposed wind farm to create financial opportunities and ongoing benefits for the community. The Coonerang Wind Farm Neighbour Benefits Program is one of the ways we can make that happen, alongside new jobs, investment and additional economic activity that can help strengthen the Snowy-Monaro community for decades to come,” said Mr Chivers.

The proposed Coonerang Wind Farm is located approximately 15 kilometres south of Cooma in NSW’s Snowy-Monaro region. If approved and constructed, the proposed Coonerang Wind Farm will feature 33 wind turbines supported by advanced battery storage technology with the capacity to generate up to 264 megawatts of clean, affordable and reliable energy – enough to power 135,000 average NSW homes.

With multiple biodiversity and Indigenous heritage surveys either underway or complete, the proposed wind farm is being carefully designed with the community to operate in harmony with local agriculture (including sheep grazing), protect biodiversity, and respect culturally significant Indigenous sites.

The Snowy-Monaro region is already home to renewable energy developments such as the Boco Rock Wind Farm and the Snowy Hydro Scheme. The proposed Coonerang Wind Farm has been granted State Significant Development status by the NSW Government, recognising its potential to help power NSW’s renewable energy transition and strengthen the local economy.

The proposed project’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is now expected to be lodged in 2026. The EIS will be on public exhibition as per the advice of the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure.