Saturday, March 03, 2012

March of the tall grey poles has residents fuming

March of the tall grey poles has residents fuming
Matthew Moore
March 12, 2011
‘‘People will be outraged’’ ... Scott Collins in front of an incomplete version of one of the new electrical towers.
‘‘People will be outraged’’ ... Scott Collins in front of an incomplete version of one of the new electrical towers.Photo: Jon Reid

ENERGY Australia is quietly installing a network of 140 giant concrete poles from Sydney to Newcastle as part of a plan that will eventually lead to the replacement of all domestic power meters.
The poles, at least 20 metres high, and some three times that size, are fitted with radio antennas that will communicate with 12,000 sensors being installed in electricity distribution devices on the street, dubbed ''green kiosks''.
Once installed, Energy Australia - now called Ausgrid - will have its own 4G radio network with the ability to communicate directly with two million proposed radio-enabled domestic electricity meters.
Having radio on the meters will allow automatic collection of billing information without the need for meter readers.
The poles are a critical part of Ausgrid's transformation of the electricity network into a more efficient ''smart'' grid, giving customers and Ausgrid more flexibility and information about when electricity is used.
Not everyone is enamoured, especially when it means a pole more than twice the size of a normal power pole in their street.
Scott Collins has been trying to stop Ausgrid erecting a 20.5 metre pole about 70 metres from his house in Arncliffe. He wants it placed in an industrial area where it would be less visible and where there would be less exposure to its electromagnetic radiation.
He and other locals have met the Environment Minister, Frank Sartor, organised a public meeting, and convinced Rockdale Council to pass a resolution last week calling on Ausgrid to find another site.
But he has discovered that under a 2007 infrastructure policy, Ausgrid can decide where it puts these poles regardless of what councils say.
Real estate agents have told him a pole near a house could reduce its value by $40,000 to $60,000, a claim Ausgrid has disputed in a letter to Mr Collins, ruling out compensation.
Mr Collins believes residents in Sydney, the central coast and the Hunter will be appalled when they discover there is no way to stop these poles.
''People will be outraged, scared and entirely disappointed in democracy because Ausgrid pays lip service to locals, nod their heads and then do what they want.''
An Ausgrid spokeswoman said the site near Mr Collins's home was chosen because it is on top of a ridge, allowing for the shortest pole. It meant only one radio network facility would be needed to service more than 12,000 homes and businesses in Rockdale.
Many of the planned poles would be placed on existing substation sites, she said.
Ausgrid had investigated other sites in Arncliffe, including the golf course, but it would have required a pole 65 metres high, she said.
Mr Collins was also concerned the new network would expose his family to more electromagnetic radiation in addition to that from mobile phone towers and other devices.
Ausgrid said the antennas needed only 40 watts of power to operate and the maximum signal strength would be 400 times below Australian and World Health Organisation safety limits.
While the new radio-enabled smart meters were planned for all customers, the Ausgrid spokeswoman said no decision had been made on when that would happen.

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