A massive, gigawatt scale battery storage project near Tamworth in the New England region of NSW has been referred to the state Independent Planning Commission after being opposed by more than 50 people and organisations.
Unlike most other renewable and storage projects that have been referred to the IPC in recent months, which have been opposed almost entirely by long distance objectors, many of them interstate, the Kingswood battery is facing a significant pushback from locals.
According to an assessment report written by the state department of planning, 34 of the 67 written objections to the Kingswood project came from people living within 5 kms of the planned facility, which would be located 7kms south-east of Tamworth.
The battery project has been put forward by the Australian offshoot of Spanish energy giant Iberdrola Australia, and would be sized at 270 megawatts (MW) and 1,080 megawatt hours (MWh).
According to an assessment from the state planning authority, most of the local submissions expressed concern about fire risk, noise, visual amenity, traffic, and contamination. The report says Iberdrola has made several major adjustments to its plans and the department is satisfied that the issues can be managed.
But locals say that are overwhelmed by the number and proximity of the big battery projects proposed for the area, attracted by the presence of the Tamworth substation and existing 330 kV transmission lines.
The nearby 250 MW, 500 MWh, Calala battery, owned by Equis Australia, has won rights to an underwriting deal with the federal government’s Capacity Investment Scheme and has already begun construction, while Valent Energy is proposing the 200 MW, 400 MWh Tamworth battery just up the road from Kingswood.
“This is one of three proposed BESS projects within approximately 500 metres of my residence,” wrote one local, Maree Smith, in her submission. “I believe this will be closer to my home than it will be to the home on the actual property it is being built on!”
She also raised concerns about local flooding and the expectation that all profits would go overseas.
Several locals said they had been told by independent assessors that the battery projects would cause a reduction in value of their land and homes of at least $500,000.
“I live two blocks away from this proposal and we never believed such a project would ever be approved,” wrote Cathi Maher. “This will be the third BESS proposed project within a km of my property.”
Another resident expressed concern about lightning strikes creating “a domino” effect that would resemble an “earthquake” and “Crowdstrikes” from cyber attacks.
The one submission in support of the proposal came from a resident, Robyn Bird, who said she lives within two kilometres of the project, and who says it is ideally positioned close to grid infrastructure and several proposed solar farms.
The Tamworth regional council says it has a “neutral” position on the project, although “it is mindful of the potential negative impacts such a large development can have on an existing regionally based community and the environment.”
The IPC says it will host a pubic hearing in early February at the Tamworth town hall to listen to local concerns.
In a statement, it noted that the key issues identified in the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure’s whole-of-government assessment of the development application included concerns about the renewable energy transition, noise, traffic, hazards and risks, land use compatibility and visual impacts.
“The Commission wants to ensure that people who live nearby and may be most directly impacted by the project can have their say to help inform the Commission’s decision,” it wrote.
“The Commission invites members of the local community to register their interest for an in-person meeting with the Panel when it visits the area to conduct a site inspection and locality tour.
“Local meetings with individuals will run for 10 minutes each and will be held in the Passchendaele Room at the Tamworth Town Hall located at 28 Fitzroy St, Tamworth on Wednesday 4 February 2026, commencing at 1:00pm AEDT.
“The meetings will not be videoed or livestreamed but will be recorded and transcribed, with the transcript published on the Commission’s website. The meetings can also be observed in-person.”
Written submissions will be accepted until 11:59pm AEDT on February 10, 2026.
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