Huge wind and battery project headed to IPC after long-distance objectors force more hearings

One of the four big wind and battery projects granted access to the grid in the newly created South-West renewable energy zone in NSW has been officially referred to the state’s Independent Planning Commission, despite having no objections from the local community.

The Pottinger renewable energy hub – originally planned at 1.3 GW of wind capacity with a 500 MW, four hour battery – is being developed by AGL and Someva Renewables, but is being forced back into public hearings because of the objections of long distance opponents.

Large wind and solar projects are automatically referred to the IPC once they receive more than 50 objections.

The Pottinger renewable hub is in a sparsely populated region – there are no homes within 10kms of the project – and it received support from all submissions from residents within 15 kms.

But most objections (77) came from people living 50kms away, including 21 from interstate, according to documents released this week by the IPC, which has scheduled hearings over two days in late May.

The folly of allowing people who live interstate or hundreds of kilometres away to sway state planning approvals is now even more evident than it was in October, when the spread of objectors was first revealed.

The Pottinger project is one of four to secure coveted access rights, but only for 831 MW of wind capacity, and a 400 MW, 1600 MWh battery – which is likely to be the limit of the project unless it can get more grid access.

Three of the four projects granted rights in the SW REZ were offered only limited grid access because of the small capacity of the transmission infrastructure.

The AGL-Someva Renewables project is 60km south of the Riverina town Hay and inside the South-West Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), and will connect directly to the Project EnergyConnect transmission line running between NSW and South Australia is complete.

The locations of supporters (green) and objectors (orange) to the Pottinger wind farm from the NSW planning process.

While NSW is allowing people outside the state to slow down planning decisions, Victoria has taken a different route.

Last year the state government introduced a fast-tracked development process for projects the government deems significant, but which removes the right for dissenters to tie approved projects up in appeals for years.

The move was controversial — Victorians were worried they would not be able to fight inappropriate development — but came with assurances that communities would still be heard during the process.

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