Scathing attack: Murrumbidgee hits out at renewables roll-out

Murrumbidgee Council is within the South West REZ which was gazetted in 2022.

It also hosts the Dinawan Substation on Kidman Way which is outside the SW REZ, halfway between Coleambally and Jerilderie and at which the major Humelink, VNI West and Project Energy Connect transmission lines converge to supply electricity to Sydney, Victoria and South Australia.

As a result of the Dinawan substation and the gazettal of the SW REZ, Murrumbidgee Council has been dealing separately with four state significant wind farms and one state significant solar farm, all seeking connection to Dinawan.

Also, before development of the SW REZ, two state significant projects were approved and built in Coleambally and Darlington Point.

Council says this experience has provided it with “extensive first hand knowledge of the impacts, challenges and disappointments that the development of renewable energy projects create”.

“It also reinforces our belief that these projects offer no positive outcomes for our communities,” council said in a letter attached to its submission.

Throughout the submission, council expressed concern at the community impact, government processes and financial implications of the renewables roll-out.

This included loss of agricultural land, the environmental impact of extensive vegetation clearing, visual impacts and heavy demands on local roads, plus demands on potentially scarce resources such as water and other services provided by local government.

It describes the approach to fire risk as “a complete failure that will result in catastrophic loss in the future”, with local brigades, made up of volunteers, not having the training or resources to deal with fires associated with renewable energy developments.

“Most of the local brigades have advised council that they will refuse to respond to any bush fire until the fire leaves the renewable energy development boundary,” the submission says.

It cites ongoing experience with projects that have started to express concern at associated financial costs.

This experience “confirms that current and projected costs of roads and infrastructure will be a significant and unsustainable financial burden on Murrumbidgee Council”.

“Our experience to date is that none of these developments work or communicate with council to either consult, advise or report on their intended road usage, on works that they undertake on council roads without approval, or the damage their contractors have caused,” council’s submission continues.

“Ensuring compliance with these developments is rapidly developing into a full-time role within our existing staff structure and therefore increasing pressures on the delivery of normal council works programs”.

Council says the creation of rural energy zones are all state and federal government projects, yet the impacts of the construction, ongoing operation, loss of visual amenities, community divisions, economic (and) loss of available telecommunication services are all impacts, costs and burdens that will be borne by council now and into the future.

“This situation has been created by the state and federal governments without ‘skin in the game’, or even any worthwhile recognition of their impacts,” the submission reads.

“There is yet to be any new critical infrastructure, new economic programs or access to the electricity generated in this area for local communities announced or provided by either government.”

Council says this is particularly difficult to accept “given the subsidies paid to potential renewable energy developers and the re-development of access routes from the Newcastle Port in order to encourage its use as a potential delivery point for equipment and materials, with no corresponding upgrades of the Newell or Sturt Highways”.

In relation to compensation, it says compensation for hosting electricity lines only applies to private landowners.

Within the Murrumbidgee Council area, a total of 50km of council managed roads will be required to host transmission lines.

Yet there is no compensation to council despite council being required to maintain these roads.

“The current compensation is not adequate or fair,” council says.

“Council and the community are suffering from renewable energy fatigue.”

Commenting on the role and responsibility of the Net Zero Commission and Commissioner in addressing various matters, council said it “has not heard from the Net Zero Commission or Commissioner”.

Council was also critical of voluntary planning agreements and payments, which could have funded vital community services.

In one instance the proponent opposed its contribution to council to the department without the council being consulted, which resulted in the department halving the amount and a department staff member stating, “isn’t this enough money for you?”.

Its submission says there is “absolutely no understanding” by the responsible NSW Government department of the “complete lack of local community support for these developments and the undue and rude haste that these developments are being pushed through can only enforce this”.