A New South Wales Riverina region council has voted to oppose construction of large-scale solar projects on all “irrigated or irrigable” farmland under its jurisdiction, in the latest example of local governments flexing their muscle against booming renewable energy development.
In an ordinary council meeting last week, the Leeton Shire Council supported a proposal from Mayor George Weston that irrigated agricultural land within the shire “be afforded the highest level of protection from non-agricultural development, including large-scale solar farms.”
According to the meeting agenda, this would mean formally opposing any solar projects proposed for State Significant Agricultural Land, as well as any land currently under irrigation, or with the potential to be under irrigation.
The mayor also proposed that the council continue to “advocate strongly to the NSW government that irrigated agricultural land within the Leeton Shire be afforded the highest level of protection from non-agricultural development, including large-scale solar.”
For solar farm development proposals on land outside of these parameters, the council determined that it continues to support “a merit-based, case-by-case assessment approach.”
“Council acknowledges the role of renewable energy generation, including solar farms, in supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy,” the motion says.
“However, this must be carefully balanced against the need to protect high-value agricultural land, particularly irrigated land that contributes significantly to sustained agricultural productivity.”
The Leeton Shire’s reframed position on solar farm development follows the state approval, last week, of the 800 megawatt (MW) Dinawan solar farm and big battery, not far from Leeton in the Riverina Region.
The project was approved by the NSW Independent Planning Commission, having been sent there by nearly 70 public submissions; although none came from any of the surrounding local councils and only three from within 5km of the project.
But Leeton is far from being the only council “drawing the line” – as one councillor put it – on renewables development and making clear what is and isn’t acceptable to the community.
In Queensland, the Banana Shire council become the latest to set a new road maintenance fee for renewable energy developers, with rates up to $100,000 per road.
Developers will pay an annual road maintenance contribution during construction of a project, to be held as a guarantee against any damage to local roads from transporting huge and heavy kit like wind turbine blades and tower parts to project sites.
Elsewhere, it has become increasingly common for councils to make strong and thorough submissions on the Environmental Impact Statements of proposed projects, calling for firm assurances from developers and state authorities on issues like workforce and housing shortages.
In Queensland, local governments have had little choice but to fine tune their policies on renewables development, since the state LNP government made it mandatory for all large-scale wind, battery and solar projects to negotiate a community benefit agreement (CBA) with councils before seeking state approval.
This sounds like it can only be a good thing, and in many ways it is. Councils are by-and-large in the very best position to determine how a project can best give back to the community that will host it.
They are also bound to be well versed on the range of community concerns about proposed developments – and best placed to guide developers on which can be ameliorated and which are deal-breakers.
But taking the lead on negotiations over what are often multi-billion dollar projects is no small task, particularly against a backdrop of community angst and division.
In the not-too distant past of Australia’s transition to renewables, it was not uncommon to see overwhelmed councils throwing their up hands and calling on state governments to step in and take over. This is, in part, how the NSW IPC has become so prominent in planning decisions in that state.
The experience of the Tamworth Regional Council’s failed legal challenge to the IPC-approved Hills of Gold wind farm offers a very fresh cautionary tale on what can go wrong when local governments get out of their depth.
In Western Australia, the state government has recently established what have been hailed as nation-leading new community benefit guidelines, which – among other things – create a fund custodian to negotiate with developers on behalf of communities.
The new system employs an independent organisation to help communities decide on their preferred plan, leaving developers to negotiate with the custodian over the finer details.
RE-Alliance, which has for years advocated for communities to share in the benefits of the shift to renewables, says the role of local governments is vital in achieving national renewable energy targets and councils, when well-equipped, can be leaders in ensuring nation-critical projects work for their communities.
But the organisation has also stressed that “the quantum of renewable energy developments planned for local government areas is not commensurate with the resources that councils have to coordinate successful local energy shifts.”
At a Regional Leaders Summit held in Newcastle in August 2025, attendees heard how local government and community leaders were having to become energy system experts to evaluate claims being made by developers and understand an ever-changing policy and regulatory landscape.
“More and more, Councils are playing a pivotal role in renewable energy development, improving outcomes for their communities by negotiating with proponents, coordinating development, and combating misinformation,” says Andrew Bray, the national director of RE-Alliance.
“They recognise that project risks are inherent, while opportunities must be deliberately pursued and embedded in policy and agreements with developers.
“Supporting local leadership is essential to building social licence. However, smaller councils don’t have the capacity to do this within their existing resources,” says Bray.
To remedy this, RE-Alliance has called for federal and state governments to step in with funding and other resources, including a network of Local Energy Hubs and a national coordination agency to help guide councils through what can be incredibly complex planning and benefits negotiations.
“We have been calling on state and federal governments to provide councils with support to ensure the transition to renewables provides regional communities with the opportunities they’ve been promised, rather than the risks that come when development is uncoordinated,” Bray says.
Meanwhile, back at the Leeton Shire Council, where the mayor’s motion to block certain solar proposals was passed unanimously, not everyone is entirely convinced it is the right move.
Region Riverina reports that one councillor, Nicholas Wright, expressed concerns that the new proposal might backfire on locals looking for cheaper ways to power their farms.
“I want to make sure there’s no unintended consequences,” Cr Nicholas Wright said.
“That it doesn’t prevent someone in the irrigation areas from putting up a modest amount of solar arrays to run their existing operations as opposed to a large-scale commercial grid provider.”
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Sophie Vorrath
Sophie is editor of Renew Economy and editor of its sister site, One Step Off The Grid . She is the co-host of the Solar Insiders Podcast. Sophie has been writing about clean energy for more than a decade.
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