Beryl Battery Energy Storage System

Beryl battery energy storage system must not be allowed to go ahead, food producing agricultural land must not be sacrificed for short term expensive energy storage.
PFAS leaking into the soil and water systems in too great a risk. Do not allow this unnecessary destructive project.

Gulgong is NOT the place for BESS and renewable energy, nor is the Central-West Orana; this land is for agriculture, tourism and to raise our families peacefully, without renewable energy encroaching on us.

The people of Gulgong should not have to live with the risks and fear each day of being engulfed by battery associated fires. Nor should they be subjected to the ongoing noise and visual light pollution that comes with BESS.

Local farmers, homes and businesses face losing critical water supply, should this project go ahead. How would the Gulgong community get through periods of drought and water restrictions when this infrastructure would clearly be given water priority?

As I know from previous projects in our area, we are wasting our pressious time in objecting to the project,as some people have already told me that the battery is ALREADY APPROVED ?
Who cares about us ,The LANDOWNERS? who wish to farm as a living (Not the City folk !! )
I object to the site as it is in a water course which feeds the Wyaldra creek,the Cudgegong river and the Macquarie river all being a substantial part of the Murray Darling System.
We have a listed Regents Honey Eater habitat along our creek ( wyaldra creek)
I have also witnessed the Australasian Bittern nesting in reeds. Where power lines cross the creek.(prior to the power company clearing trees and scrub.
We also have platypus living and nesting in our sections of the wyaldra creek.
We have been told in the past that sustained tree planting will take place (Beryl solar farm) and it HAS NOT !! therefore we still have a rotten view oif the solar panels.I realise that this is not BESS But you must understand once bitten twice shy!
I am a direct neighbourof this proposal & I feel people will be reluctant to buy my property as it is far too close to the NEW BATTERY set up if it goes ahead
People hear the word Lithium Battery and associate it with all the uncontrollable fires that a regularly on the News.
Fires frighten me as we only have one escape from our properties.Are the local R.F.F.S.allowed to fight a fire inside the site?

BESS factories are destroying the landscapes and significantly devaluing residential, agricultural and commercial properties within the Gulgong community. Nobody would want to live anywhere near this heap of fire-causing garbage.

The noises from this BESS project will have negative impacts on the nearby livestock and wildlife. These impacts will be evident in not only everyday life for the animals, but also during breeding and birthing cycles.

The constant light pollution from this BESS infrastructure will also cause livestock and wildlife to suffer.

This battery storage system is of a major fire risk and will put significant strain on local and rural firefighting services. These local firefighting services are not equipped with the resources or man-power to manage emergency fires for when they do break out at this site. Why should the community risk their lives and step up to fight fires for infrastructure that they never wanted there in the first place?

BESS infrastructure will negatively impact the visual amenity of the Gulgong landscapes. Gulgong’s tourism industry runs off Mudgee, and with significant land taken up by BESS, this will destroy tourism and local economy for Gulgong - as who of sane mind would want to go visit a noisy, industrial eyesore that is a battery storage facility. Plus, who wants to be there the day it catches fire?

It cannot be demonstrated that this project will not affect public health and safety, nor the harmony of surrounding land uses.

BESS infrastructure is a fire risk to the community. It is also noisy and brings with it noise pollution from its cooling and electrical components. This will constantly impact those living near the project.

You are destroying all that we have and know here in rural NSW with renewable energy. Stop it now. When this goes up in flames, what will happen to the people of Gulgong?

The renewable energy push on rural Australia needs to stop now before it is too late. I object to this project. BESS brings with it too many fire risks.

This will not only be dangerous to our health and the environment, but also detrimental to small rural businesses and our economy. With farming operations closing down due to renewable energy taking over, our small community-based businesses will suffer, as we rely significantly on the agricultural industry; it is the backbone to our communities.
I object.

I’m writing to object to the proposed Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Gulgong, specifically due to the unacceptable risks related to water usage and fire hazards. The plan outlined in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) fails to adequately address these concerns, and moving forward with this project is reckless.

Water Usage – A Serious Concern
The BESS construction will demand 8.5 megalitres of non-potable water annually, which is a massive drain on local resources in a region that already struggles with water availability. Gulgong’s water sources are crucial for farmers and residents, and this project threatens to severely disrupt our access to these essential resources. Suggesting that this amount of water use will have minimal impact on the groundwater is dismissive, at best. The idea that local farms and homes could lose critical water supplies to support a construction project is simply unacceptable.

There’s no guarantee that the “minimal water use” during operation will offset the damage done during construction. For an area that already faces drought conditions and limited water access, taking a gamble on this amount of water usage is a risk we shouldn’t have to bear.

Fire Hazard – A Recipe for Disaster
The EIS also acknowledges the risk of thermal runaway and battery fires but downplays the severity of these risks. This is a bushfire-prone area, and introducing large-scale batteries is asking for trouble. The so-called "mitigation measures" like firewater supplies and vegetation management are not enough to guarantee our safety. Local fire services are not equipped to handle a full-scale battery fire, and the consequences could be catastrophic for the community, farmland, and surrounding bushland.

If this facility catches fire, it won’t just be EnergyCo’s problem—it’ll be a community-wide disaster, and the effects could spread far beyond the project site. Pretending that a few management plans and design tweaks will eliminate that risk is irresponsible.

Bottom Line
This BESS project poses serious threats to our water resources and significantly increases the fire risk in a vulnerable rural area. These are risks that we will have to deal with—not the companies behind the project. The community should not be forced to sacrifice water, safety, and livelihoods to make room for a project that clearly hasn’t been properly planned with the region’s needs in mind.

I strongly urge you to reconsider this proposal and take these real, practical concerns into account before pushing ahead with a project that could cause irreparable harm to Gulgong.

The Wangaratta planning scheme protects state-significant agricultural land, yet this project disregards that designation. Building infrastructure on versatile farmland will disrupt productive agricultural operations, which are critical to the region's economy.

Battery energy storage should be built in high density city areas as this is where the power is needed. There will be high transmission losses due to the long distance sending electricity from battery storage such as the Beryl proposal near Gulgong. Given that many city electorates are pushing for these 'clean' projects to be built, battery storage projects should be built in those electorates. This would store the power where it is most needed and signal to all communities that people who vote for 'clean' energy are not Nimbys.

I object to the proposed electricity-generating works as it poses a serious risk to Wangaratta’s special water catchment. The increased exposure to toxic contamination from industrial activities will jeopardize the water quality, essential for both agriculture and human consumption.

This project introduces unacceptable fire risks, especially considering the proximity to dense grassy woodlands, where fire hazards could escalate quickly and lead to uncontrollable disasters. There are safer locations that should be considered for such works.
how can the company guarantee than if a fire happen that POFAS be spewed into the air and on neighbouring house and property

I object to the Beryl Battery Energy Storage System.

I am a fifth generation farmer from Dunedoo, NSW. Whilst I live approximately 45 kilometres from the proposed BESS I have grave concerns regarding the whole “rapid transition to renewable energy”, without which large scale battery storage systems would be unnecessary. The impacts of the transition on agriculture (and therefore food security), hazard risk (bushfire), traffic and transport, water, noise and visual amenity and all the foundations of rural and regional communities and landscapes is being put at risk in the name of saving the environment from climate change. Is there any sense in destroying the environment in an attempt to save it?

The people of rural and regional NSW, and Australia, who are being forced to host the vast majority of infrastructure needed to transition OUR country to renewable energy, are not being given opportunities to have their opinions and concerns heard early enough in the planning stages. There is plenty of room for real, valuable and constructive collaboration with community, but that option is being taken away through secretive, manipulative, divisive conduct from Government and developer employees. Whilst the proponent and Department may find impacts to surrounding landowners negligible, minor or insignificant it is not their homes, livelihoods and communities being put at risk.

The Wangaratta planning scheme protects state-significant agricultural land, yet this project disregards that designation. Building infrastructure on versatile farmland will disrupt productive agricultural operations, which are critical to the region's economy. their is a huge one being built where I live.