There is a stark disconnect between renewable energy companies and the people living in New South Wales (NSW) renewable energy zones, the state’s ombudsman says.
Tensions are arising from a lack of information, or conflicting information, and the complex, insider language prevalent in the renewable energy industry, says Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW Janine Young.
“We’ve really got to find a better way of talking about it, because otherwise the growing distrust will continue rather than actually diminishing,” she told an industry forum last week.
“There’s two sides to the coin when you’re talking about renewable energy and how the transitions are currently being rolled out. There’s a disconnect between what industry tells us, and what the community tells us.”
The ombudsman was given purview over the NSW REZs last year, and Young can now provide real data on what sentiment is like on the ground.
Feelings toward the REZs run the gamut of anger through to acceptance and excitement about the possibilities, but the key complaint is that communities feel they are being ignored.
“Currently, they’re not feeling that they are heard. They feel that some consultation is just like, oh yeah, we’ve talked to them, we’ve ticked the box. One of the big issues is that their knowledge is just not being taken into account, rather than consultant views and reports,” Young said.
Individual landowners are irate about lowball initial offers from both transmission companies and developers for the use of their property, with the sense they’re being treated like they’re stupid and don’t know the value of the land.
And Young cited themes such as why a renewable energy developer is allowed to change the landscape, such as the way water flows in a creek, when a farmer is not, or whether a landowner will get in trouble is a bushfire starts on their land and takes out a solar farm.
This is the kind of information people want but are struggling to get answers to.
Young says the priority now is getting this kind of information to people inside the REZs.
In the 40 complaints received since 1 December 2024 are a man who decided against hosting a solar farm only to see the development happen right next door on his neighbour’s property, meaning he still had to look at it but received none of the benefits.
The ombudsman is now trying to convince the developer to investigate neighbourhood payments.
Another was a man who thought a transmission company was flying drones over his property as it planned a new substation. The ombudsman was able to prove the company drones weren’t the same as those over his property, and parsed the environmental documents to alleviate his other concerns.
Urgent changes are needed
The current way the renewable energy industry is engaging with communities, generally, is not working, Young says.
“So what needs to change? The current status can’t continue. In our view, we need to make sure that we are all working together and that we’ve got the same messages, and that when something’s going wrong, that a contractor will let the transmission company know,” she said.
“There needs to be some neighbour engagement and some neighbour benefits. If they’re going to see that solar farm, that wind farm, or the transmission tower, it is affecting their day-to-day life. So let’s recognise that transparency and continuity of information, and let’s continue the conversation so that we make sure that we do this together better.
“We need to have a culture of recognition and respect.”
Developers and contractors also need to have solid internal disputes or complaints systems in place, to show they are willing to take community and individual concerns seriously, because the ombudsman shouldn’t be the first port of call, she says.
Community benefits in the spotlight, again
Young says there is a sense that individual benefits are overshadowing wider benefits – and these need to be deeply tailored to the community.
One-off additions such as a playground may not be top of the list, with key community concerns including not enough medical services and housing.
For example, people living near the proposed Sunny Corner wind farm in the eponymous state forest are worried about local fire management, environmental protection, and want to see community infrastructure projects, according to a survey by the project’s proponents.
The 140 survey respondents said investment in local infrastructure upgrades (48 per cent), grants to spur innovation (39 per cent) and local sponsorships (30 per cent) would be valuable in their community.
Near neighbours were keen on annual cash payments, grants to install rooftop solar and home batteries, and electricity bill rebates.
“Community co-design and engagement are central to ensuring the financial and social benefits of the proposed Sunny Corner wind farm are shared and reflect community needs,” said Someva Renewables’ Jamie Chivers.
“Our team is incorporating these findings into the proposed project’s Community Benefits Fund and Neighbour Benefits Program – with the Neighbour Benefits Program expected to be released to near-neighbours soon.”
