00:00 An oasis in an unforgiving landscape, World's End Gorge, about two hours north of Adelaide,
00:07 is one of the few permanent watering holes in northern South Australia, the driest state
00:12 on the driest continent on earth.
00:14 I've been privileged to come here a few times already. It's really unique.
00:18 It's also set to be part of a new national park, earmarked for protection as part of
00:23 a massive new renewable energy development under construction nearby.
00:27 It's a very hidden gem. There's a sign out in the road that says 'Burra Gorge' but that
00:32 wouldn't give you any indication of how unique this place is.
00:34 It's not until you get in here and walk along this watercourse and have a look at the red
00:38 gums and the permanent water and the gorges on either side of it that you really get a
00:42 feeling for how special the place is.
00:44 Known as the Goita Hub, the combined wind, solar and battery development will be one
00:48 of the biggest of its kind in the world when it's eventually completed.
00:52 The land has been handed over as part of efforts by the developers to offset the environmental
00:57 effects.
00:58 We're not aware of any similar arrangement that's been made before. This is the first
01:01 time certainly that Neowen has tried it and in part that's been allowed by the fact that
01:05 we've found this incredible place which you don't come across very often.
01:09 For all the talk about the need to decarbonise the economy, the renewable energy industry
01:13 is facing difficulty in winning over some regional communities.
01:17 Neowen is hoping that gifting this land back to the community can help provide a template
01:22 for others to follow.
01:24 I think increasingly people expect to see nature getting better not worse. Renewable
01:29 energy companies like any other company if they have a development they are going to
01:33 have an impact on the environment.
01:35 The speed at which Australia is moving if we look at the past is quite amazing. Of course
01:40 when you look in front of us we see the challenges because moving from 40, 45 per cent renewables
01:46 towards 80 per cent is another step.
01:49 Following a winding path to a greener grid.
01:52 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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