Huge NSW solar and battery project nudges boundary fence to fend off community concerns

The proposed 400MW Gundary solar project near the regional city of Goulburn will be slightly larger than its original footprint, as the developer seeks to fend off community concerns around its impact on waterways and biodiversity, and the visual effect.

The scoping report, released on Saturday, addresses community concerns around these issues as well as social impacts, flood risks from the nearby Gundary and Bullamalito creeks, and other hazards such as bushfires.

The $540 million project’s size has been extended by 280m to the south-west to give the planners more flexibility to avoid sensitive water and biodiversity areas, reduce the risk of flooding, and mitigate the visual impact on near neighbours, who include former energy minister Angus Taylor.

It won’t increase the megawatt capacity or infrastructure.

“This adjustment provides further scope to improve social and environmental impacts, which the project team is already working on and will finalise during the EIS phase. There will be particular focus on improving visual impacts,” said a Lightsource bp spokesman.

“We are expecting to submit the EIS around the middle of 2023 and for a determination to be made by the Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) in late 2023 or early 2024. Based on these assumptions we expect construction is likely to start in mid to late 2024.”

Timings for the project are subject to various approvals including development approval, grid connection, and financing.

The project will see the 400MW solar PV potentially backed by a 200-400MW lithium-ion battery energy storage system (BESS), capable of storing 400-800MWh of on-demand energy supply.

Lightsource bp plans to tap into the multiple high voltage transmission lines that crisscross the region.

The massive project is part of a suite of ventures proposed by Lightsource bp, the global renewables joint venture between UK solar company Lightsource and the global oil giant BP. The joint venture has five projects in train in NSW which will be part of a 2 gigawatt (GW) portfolio in Australia.

The scoping study says the project will generate enough energy to power some 133,000 homes, provide some 400 jobs and reduce carbon emissions by 670,000 tonnes.

Vocal opposition

The project has been beset by complaints from a vocal opposition group called Stop Gundary Solar Farm, which are opposed to its location on 473 hectares of grazing land.

The group is supported by former energy minister Angus Taylor, who owns land nearby, and Goulburn MP Wendy Tuckerman.

“I share their deep concerns as does (Ms) Tuckerman,” Taylor said in June.

“It is also important to recognise the Gundary area is not part of the NSW government’s Renewable Energy Zone [REZ]. There are renewable energy zones planned and operational across the state that welcome these projects but the Gundary region is not one of those.”

Last week, however, representatives of the opposition group told local media that inclusion in the REZ would have made it more difficult to push a project like Gundary Solar through.

Tuckerman has been contacted for comment.

The Lightsource bp spokesman said the scoping study factored in a wide range of feedback from more than 150 community stakeholders.

“This feedback includes a number of concerns from immediate neighbours, as well as support from members of the broader community, including from a number of local community groups,” he said.

“This feedback has been taken on board and incorporated into our project design, and these details can be found in the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) within the Scoping Report.”