Another two large scale solar and battery projects have been sent for review by an independent panel as a result of the efforts of long distance objectors, many from interstate.
The Independent Planning Commission in NSW is to review Spark Energy’s Dinawan solar and battery project, a proposed 800 megawatt (MW) solar complex with a 356 MW /1,574 megawatt hour (MWh) battery, as well as Edify Energy’s Burroway 100 MW solar project, which also comes with a 100 MW, 400 MWh battery.
They are the latest in a string of renewable energy and storage projects – including big batteries near Albury and Deniliquin – that have been sent to the IPC for review because NSW planning laws require it if more than 50 submissions are received.
See also: Long distance antis force review of big battery on edge of town, despite no opposition within 50 kms of project
In many of these projects there is little, or no, opposition from locals. In the case of the Dinawan solar-battery, part of a major energy hub that will also include a wind farm, just three submissions came from within 5 kms of the project, another 11 within 100 kms, and 66 from more than 100 kms away, including 12 from interstate.
Three special interest groups objected, including a Queensland based group called Climate and Energy Realists, which insists “there is no climate emergency” and wants energy subsidies cancelled. But it supports nuclear, which requires significant subsidies or direct government investment to be built.
None of the major agencies, including the local council, opposed the Dinawan project, and Spark made some adjustments after consultation with those authorities.
The Dinawan project is located between Coleambally and Jerilderie in the state’s south-west, in a region with two existing solar farms (Coleambally and Darlington Point) and a number of proposed solar farms, big batteries, and wind projects, including the country’s biggest at Yanco Delta.
In the case of Burroway, located near Narromine in the state’s central west, there were some 81 objections – none within 5 kms of the project, but 18 from interstate, and five from special interest groups, including another Queensland-based group, Rainforest Reserves
Many of the submissions were focused on the reliability of renewable energy, and the loss of agricultural land. Rainforest Reserves said the project could cause “substantial, irreversible harm to the Dubbo region.”
In response to submissions from state agencies and local councils, Edify amended its traffic management plans, and agreed to create temporary workers accommodation to house the estimated 250 construction workers.
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Giles Parkinson
Giles Parkinson is founder and editor-in-chief of Renew Economy, and founder and editor of its EV-focused sister site The Driven. He is the co-host of the weekly Energy Insiders Podcast. Giles has been a journalist for more than 40 years and is a former deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review. You can find him on LinkedIn and on Twitter.
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