Baulkham Hills Battery Energy Storage System

Re: State Significant Development Application SSD-80854710
Baulkham Hills Battery Energy Storage System, 191Z Old Windsor Road, Old Toongabbie
To whom it may concern,
I’m writing as a local resident to raise some concerns about the proposed Baulkham Hills BESS. I live in the area, have family on Reynolds Street, Toongabbie, and regularly use Toongabbie Creek and the surrounding bushland and reserves. I’ve gone through the EIS and its appendices in detail, and while I appreciate the amount of technical work that’s gone into it, there are several things I think need clearer answers before this project is approved.
Noise is my biggest concern. The applicant’s own noise assessment shows that without mitigation, most nearby homes would exceed the allowed noise levels. Even with noise walls and quieter equipment, two properties are still predicted to exceed the limit at night — 346 Old Windsor Road and 18 Reuben Street, Winston Hills — and both have a tonal quality to the noise, which tends to be more noticeable and annoying than the raw decibel number suggests. Their own risk assessment actually rated ongoing noise and sleep disturbance as the highest-risk item in the whole document, before mitigation was factored in. I’d like to see real commitments here — actual noise monitoring once the site is operating, not just at the two flagged properties but at a few others nearby including Reynolds Street, with the results published, and a clear plan for what happens if the real-world noise turns out worse than predicted.
I’m also concerned about what happens if there’s a battery fire. The EIS acknowledges that a thermal runaway event could release toxic gas, including hydrogen fluoride, and the site sits only around 60-65 metres from Toongabbie Creek and Palestine Park, and right next to Oakes Reserve. I haven’t seen anything about how nearby park users or residents would actually be warned or evacuated if this happened, and I think that needs to be spelled out clearly, not just handled as an internal emergency plan.
On the firefighting water side, I noticed the retention basin capacity is actually listed differently in different parts of the EIS — 350kL, 352kL, and 564kL all appear in different sections. I’d like that cleared up, along with confirmation that whatever system stops contaminated firefighting water from reaching the stormwater system doesn’t rely on someone being on site to manually operate it, since fires don’t always happen during business hours.
There’s also a predicted 139% increase in annual runoff into Toongabbie Creek from the site. The EIS calls this a small impact in the context of the wider catchment, but I’d like to actually see the real numbers - the before-and-after flow rates - rather than just a percentage, and I’d like some ongoing water quality monitoring of the creek to be a condition of approval, not just a one-off prediction.
Lastly, I noticed the project didn’t need to go through a full biodiversity assessment - they were granted a waiver based on their own consultant’s report. Given the site backs onto a creek and bushland, I don’t think that’s good enough. I’d like the original waiver request made public, and I’d like to know whether anyone independent of the applicant has actually assessed the ecological impact here.
One more thing worth mentioning: Ausconnex’s own website still describes this project as 100MW/200MWh, while the actual EIS and the Planning Portal listing both say 43MW/170MWh. I assume the EIS figure is correct, but it would be good to have that confirmed properly, since it’s their own project and the numbers shouldn’t be inconsistent.
This is a 20-year project sitting close to homes, a creek, and community reserves, and I think it deserves proper, enforceable conditions rather than just predictions in a report. I’d appreciate being kept informed as the assessment continues.
Thanks for your time

I strongly support the proposed Battery Energy Storage System adjacent to the existing substation on Old Windsor Road (SSD-80854710). This project represents a vital piece of critical energy infrastructure on the following planning and strategic merits:
1. Accelerating the Clean Energy Transition:
Large-scale battery storage is essential to capturing and firming renewable energy generated during low-demand periods. Releasing this clean energy back into the grid during peak evening hours directly reduces reliance on fossil-fuel peaking plants and lowers carbon emissions.
2. Co-Location and Efficient Infrastructure Use:
Placing the BESS directly adjacent to the existing electricity transmission substation (191Z Old Windsor Road) is an efficient use of industrial land. Co-locating energy storage alongside existing electrical infrastructure minimizes environmental footprint, reduces the need for long-distance cable corridors, and avoids impact on greenfield sites.
3. Grid Stability and Resilience for Western Sydney:
Rapid population and commercial growth in Greater Western Sydney increases stress on the local distribution network. The proposed 43MW/170MWh storage capacity acts as a vital "shock absorber" for the local grid, stabilizing voltage, managing peak demand, and preventing power disruptions during heatwaves and grid stress events.
For these reasons, the proposal represents an orderly and sustainable development that supports NSW’s transition to net-zero while delivering essential infrastructure to the local energy network. This development should be approved.

Baxter Healthcare Australia supports the Baulkham Hills Battery Energy Storage System and encourages
its approval. We believe the project will deliver meaningful benefits for local residents, industry and the
wider community through improved energy reliability, enhanced infrastructure resilience and support for
future growth.
Additional comments : Baxter requests that robust controls be maintained regarding fire safety, emergency management,
construction impacts, noise management and ongoing engagement with neighbouring businesses to
ensure the project can deliver its benefits while protecting surrounding industrial operations.
Consideration and engagement during the planning and construction should be given to ensure
operational impacts to local businesses are minimised. Further, assurances are required that any
electromagnetic interference will not impact machinery or other systems at our location, and any
potential fire risks associated with batteries have strong mitigation actions in place.

BESS projects are critical to a clean energy future for Australia. People who claim they are prone to fires or other hazards are either wrong, or intentionally working in bad faith based upon ideology.