Judith Duke and her daughter Nikki have owned their farm for generations. Photo: Erin Hee.
A planned battery energy storage system (BESS) in Wagga has drawn major backlash from residents over health and safety concerns.
Eku Energy is proposing a BESS, a facility which stores renewable energy for use at a later time, at Gregadoo East Road near Lake Albert.
The potential 300 MW BESS would include battery containers, inverters, transformers and switchgear, and would be named Arundel BESS.
Nikki Duke, a fifth-generation owner of the Arundel farmland, described it as a “stain on her family name”. Her great-grandfather named their family farm after the English town he grew up in, and seeing the BESS share that name felt like an insult to her family’s legacy, she said.
But her main concerns are around health, as she has an autoimmune condition and uses a wheelchair.
“A lot of residents around Arundel area have quite significant health concerns, such as autoimmune conditions, so living in a healthy environment is essential,” she said.
Wagga firefighter Jim Simpson, who recently turned 80, lives to the east of the proposed site, and raised concerns over his EU Cattle Accreditation (EUCAS), which is his livelihood.
“If this is going to affect the stock in any way, it’s going to put my accreditation at risk,” he said.
Advanced Learning Centre director Rachael Cornius-Randall only learned about the project after chatting with her neighbour.
The community decided to print more than 3000 pamphlets and delivered them around Wagga on foot to inform people about the proposed facility.
“Without that, it would just be approved because nobody knows about it,” she said.
Wagga builder Michael Davis moved from Sydney to escape the city bustle, only to potentially end up about a kilometre way from the BESS.
“We spent a lot of money on our house [and] land,” he said.
“These are $3 million homes that you’re talking about that are going to have to look at this crap.”
Ms Cornius-Randall said: “We wouldn’t have decided to live out if we weren’t about the environment, or the birds and the animals that come into our backyard every single day.
“But who wants to look at that for the next 30 years?”
Residents were invited to two information sessions with project developers. Photo: Erin Hee.
Region asked Eku Energy and GHD Group Pty Ltd, an independent company hired to compile the scoping report, to address community concerns over health and safety risks, communication, response periods and the location choice.
Eku Energy Director of Development and Country Lead Australia Stuart Hillon said the proposed site was chosen because of its proximity to the transmission lines and HumeLink.
“I can’t speak for how that sort of impacts property price. All I can say is that we are in a really good location in terms of proximity to the grid,” he said.
“The closer you are to infrastructure, the cheaper the project can be, and the better off for consumers in the end.
“There’s not enough land for solar farms. And we’re a battery developer, not a solar farm developer.
“The community engagement session is really the first effort to introduce the project to the community and really hear any concerns that the community might have.
“[Having a short time period to respond] is not quite true. I’m not sure where that came from; the process is actually quite a long one.”
After submitting a scoping report to the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, Eku Energy will receive a list of things that needs to be completed for the approval assessment. Once the environmental impact assessment is submitted, it needs to be exhibited for a period of time, which would be at least 12 months away.
Region asked Eku Energy and GHD Group how it was consulting with the community.
Eku Energy said a letterbox drop to residents living within a 2 km radius was conducted, and concerned community members could register for updates.
GHD Group declined to comment.
Residents were invited to two information sessions to meet the project team and share feedback on 22 and 23 July. Residents who missed the information sessions can fill in an online survey, which closes at 4 pm on 8 August.
