A New South Wales council is maintaining its opposition to what would be Australia's biggest solar farm project, saying the developer has failed to meet environmental and planning requirements.
French renewable energy company Neoen wants to build the mammoth 400-megawatt solar farm — complete with one million solar panels — at Culcairn, in the Riverina.
The Greater Hume Shire Council formally rejected the 1,300-hectare project at an ordinary meeting in February.
There were concerns it would have resulted in the loss of high-quality agricultural land, posed a bushfire risk and caused significant social, environmental and Aboriginal heritage impacts.
The project also promised to create 500 jobs, but only over a period of 12 months, after which numbers would have been drastically reduced.
This week, the council's environment and planning director, Colin Kane, informed the NSW Department of Planning that Neoen failed to adopt a range of suggested alterations to the project.
These included steps to address heat island effect, community benefit payments, fire risk and a lack of vegetation.
Council general manager Steve Pinnuck said it would now be up to the Department of Planning to determine the future of the project.
"We'll be re-raising our disappointment that some of the issues put forward have not really been given credence by the developers," he said.
"There are advantages and disadvantages to having solar farms here — the overriding concern is the removal of prime agriculture land.
"It's a concern to our community and the majority of our councillors."
'Good opportunity'
The council has lodged a submission to the department, which will formalise an assessment in the coming months, before the project goes before the Independent Planning Commission.
Councillor Tony Quinn said he believed the council was potentially pushing back against a good opportunity for the region.
He said it was a private enterprise and if a landholder wanted to develop a project, they should be allowed.
"There's so much around about neighbours falling out with neighbours when emotions shouldn't come into it," Cr Quinn said.
"This is a good opportunity and it would be a big economic boost to the area.
"I don't believe the powers that be will take any notice of the council's submission, because you've got to have substance behind your submission."
In a statement, Neoen pointed to changes it made to the project prior to this week's meeting, saying:
"We'd like to thank members of the community and the Greater Hume Shire Council for the submissions and suggestions made during Culcairn Solar Farm's public exhibition period earlier this year.
"We have made a number of changes to the project in response to these submissions."
