Last year, the state government released its energy road map, which include five Renewable Energy Zones (REZs). The energy road map and the REZs offer vast opportunities to revitalise regional NSW and support communities transitioning away from coal.
The implementation and operation of these large-scale projects are, however, not problem free. One key challenge is around the transportation of energy from the REZs to the coast through high-voltage power lines. At the moment, the Minister for Energy and Environment is deciding on where the transmission infrastructure for the Central-West Orana REZ will go.
In my research with regional and rural communities in the Hunter, Illawarra and Far West, people are predominantly supportive of the government's plans to decarbonise and modernise its energy system, but concerns are raised about the process by which social and environmental impacts of these important projects are assessed.
An example is the plan proposed by TransGrid to run two high voltage 500KV power lines across the Merriwa-Cassilis plateau. Although TransGrid is following the planning guideline and policy, the unfolding process has revealed a significant failure within the planning system to ensure that social and environmental impacts are adequately mapped, assessed and evaluated.
In the case of the Central-West Orana REZ project, TransGrid has developed nine alternative study corridors and will this week forward a shortlist of these alternatives to the minister for his decision. Despite being highly contested and likely to have severe negative impacts on local landholders and the agricultural economy of this region, the corridor across the Merriwa-Cassilis plateau remains the preferred option.
In his decision, the minister will rely on desk-top study and inhouse assessment by TransGrid rather than comprehensive environmental and social impact assessments of which corridor presents the least negative impacts and opportunities for mitigation.
The state government's energy road map, the establishment of the REZs and the investment in regional economies through advancement of the renewable energy industry entail significant opportunities and is welcomed.
It is concerning that this potential may be undermined by a planning system that acts in an ad hoc manner and, as such, exposes the communities carrying the direct impacts of the state's energy plans to unnecessary risk of negative social and economical impacts.
