Should the $145 million solar power plant be approved Photon Energy says it would save 193,316 tonnes of C02 being produced, but nearby residents say the company has picked the wrong location.

The proposed site is on land privately owned by a grazier who has lived in Brewongle for decades, but the action group says the project’s approval would have far-reaching ramifications for others in the region.

The Brewongle Action Group’s Peter Hennessy said the power plant, which would have almost 400,000 solar panels, was not only and eyesore but it would devalue neighbouring properties and rob the country of prime agricultural land.

He said said the alternate site was still on the same property, but in a location that would have less visual impacts to neighbours and it was an area that was not such “prime agricultural land”.

However, seven months on Photon Energy was unable to confirm to the Western Advocate if the alternate site would be adopted.

Photon project development team’s Nick Guzowski said an assessment into the site was ongoing and that stakeholders were told in March that “the original timeline to progress with the development of the Environmental Impact Statement for the Brewongle Solar Farm had been extended to the second half of this year”.

“Engineering and environmental teams have continued their investigation into the best possible location and footprint for the Brewongle Solar Farm following community feedback,” he said.

Brewongle resident Liam O’Hara, who lives just 500 metres from the proposed power plant, said he was disappointed at Photon’s lack of feedback during the past seven months.

“I’m not surprised that they haven’t made contact with us this year. We’re disappointed,” he said.

“Obviously they don’t count us as stakeholders, which to most people you’d think that we were.”

Mr O’Hara said despite the delay from Photon, the Brewongle Action Group had not been “sitting back waiting” and had been formulating a plan to further fight the power plant’s approval.

Mr Guzowski provided no timeline of when Photon’s investigation into the “location and footprint” of the solar farm would be complete and said until then it “would be premature to further engage the community”.