Hunter Power Project (Kurri Kurri Power Station)

Crown Lands has no comments for this proposal.

I strongly object to this project for the following reasons:

This will be a very costly project for taxpayers and one which is totally unnecessary and not surprisingly Snowy Hydro has offered no justification for this power station being necessary. Justifications would be very difficult to find when every energy body nationally and internationally is advocating transitioning away from all fossil fuels. It has also been shown that this gas will be very expensive gas. NSW gas users will not be getting cheaper fuel as has been promised. If this project proceeds it will actually delay the transition to renewables which will allow for cheaper power bills. So the reverse of the claims being made is actually true. This project is being pushed by the federal government for reasons only known to it. It is crowding out private sector investment in sustainably generated power and the private sector have registered their objection to government interference in the sector. In fact, it would seem the federal government is the only body which actually want this project to proceed.

The federal government in order to promote the project as green have been selling this project as "hydrogen ready" but the EIS says that hydrogen power "would require some modification to the power station and gas turbines". Clearly hydrogen power is more rhetoric than reality.

NSW has made a commitment to net zero greenhouse emissions by 2050 and the International Energy Agency has said that achieving that goal would mean no more fossil fuel developments of any kind. Clearly this project is incompatible with both. For obvious reasons the EIS conveniently ignores this over-arching problem for the project's approval.

The world is moving on and the direction is away from fossil fuels. This project does not belong in the 21st century.

The Kurri Kurri Power Station is not needed and should not proceed. The future needs of the electricity system for despatchable, intermittent power can be met by batteries. This is something the private sector is already investing in. They are not investing in gas-fired generation for very good reasons, so why should the public sector do so? Once the new South Australia interconnector is built, and with the steady roll-out of wind/solar/batteries, the need for any fossil-fueled power generation is non-existent. We should not be wasting resources on something which is not needed.

Dear Sir or Madam
I advise that Cessnock City Council does not object to the proposed development. Cessnock City Council looks forward to continueing it involvement in the project.
Yours faithfully
Peter Giannopoulos
Team Leader Development Services

Please see submission attached

Hello,
My name is Yolande Szery and I am a voter, a mother of two young sons, a wife, a taxpayer and a member of the Australian community. But more than these things, it’s as an inhabitant of earth that I write to you today with my concerns over the proposed development of a new and entirely redundant gas-fired power plant at Kurri Kurri.
I care deeply about opposing this proposal because it represents a disregard for the future of my children and all children of this country. It is projected to directly affect the air quality of the local area, to require diesel to run as it is not connected to the gas pipeline and therefore increase fossil fuel emissions and to only provide about 10 jobs per year. I can’t see a good future in it.
I cannot understand the reasoning behind the project and I hope that you may find the courage to step backward from it and make the sensible and kind move towards renewable energy.
My children’s lives depend on this, really.

I object to this project as a concerned parent of a 5 year old Australian child on the basis that the International Energy Agency has made it clear that we can’t have any new fossil fuel projects if we’re to meet our commitment under the Paris Agreement.

Further, the project does not include the connecting pipeline & therefore the associated EIS is incomplete.

Finally if this project was financially viable, a private company would make the investment so taxpayer dollars could be used for more important activities such as re-skilling coal power plant workers. Using diesel is an expensive way to generate electricity, and will not bring power prices down for consumers. A gas led recovery should generate more than 10 jobs in the long term!

Thank you for considering my submission.

I’m writing to object to the proposed Kurri Kurri Power Plant. As a mother of two young boys and school teacher, I continually see the joy that my children and students experience when spending time in nature. I’m deeply worried about the Earth the young people of today and their children are going to grow up in if the catastrophic climate change we are rushing towards is not halted. Not only will it impact our ability to enjoy the places we live in, it will have severe impacts on food security, health and social equity. The Kurri Kurri Power Plant is not in keeping with the global target to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The planned project works against positive projects being run by the NSW Government to reduce emissions. It also compromises the state’s clean air targets and puts the health of Hunter residents at risk.
These are just some of the compelling reasons that this proposed project should be rejected.

I am a grandparent and teacher living in the Hunter Valley. I care about the environment that we leave for our children to grow up in.
I object to the proposed Kurri gas plant for a number of reasons.
The technology to be used is polluting, both through diesel and its dirty particles and the proposal to extract and pipe gas in to the site. This technology is outdated and not compatible with our push towards renewable energy. The Hunter already has high levels of air pollution from coal mining. This proposal will add to that air pollution, putting children and elderly people at risk.
It is an unnecessary waste of public money. The government would be better off investing such money in renewable energy projects in line with a global push away from fossil fuels.
The proposal is incompatible with current climate targets.
I want to see the government investing in projects that create jobs in renewable energy and contribute to a future for our children that sees them breathing clean air and sees us working towards achieving climate targets

Thank you for allowing me to make a submission against the proposed Hunter Power Project (Kurri Kurri power station).
I live in regional NSW and grew up in the Upper Hunter. I live with my husband and two young children and have just lived through the devastation of the worst drought on record where the threat to water security, heat waves and fires were a significant stress on our physical and mental health daily. The IPCC is clear that climate change is happening now and that this type of weather pattern will continue and worsen. I do not wish to see further projects approved which are shown to directly cause further climate change.
I strenuously oppose this project based on the following facts:
• NSW currently has a net zero emission target by 2050and 35% reduction in emission by 2030. This project does not fit within these targets and will produce 500 tonnes of carbon emissions per year.
• The International Energy Agency released its landmark report in May 2021stating ‘If we want to reach net zero by 2050 we do not need any more investment in new coal, oil and gas projects”. This report has significant global impacts and further increases the risk that this project will become a stranded asset wasting taxpayer funds. The report also outlines how countries can transition from fossil fuels to renewables which are cheaper and cleaner.
• Recent Australian Federal court ruling in the case Sharma Vs Minister for Environment ( May 29 2021) established a new duty of care to protect young people from foreseeable future climate change harms and establishes a clear link between fossil fuels and climate change.
• The Australia Energy Market Operator states there is no need for expanded gas in the market as there are cheaper alternatives.
• Kerry Schott, Australian Energy Board, states that gas fired power does not make commercial sense.
• Air quality and Health will be further compromised in this region and does not align with the NSW clean air strategy 2021-30 which promises to “ support private sector investment in new clean energy generation…to replace ageing fossil fuel generators as they retire in coming decades”
In short this project does more harm than good against all scientific evidence and makes no economic business sense. On these grounds I urge you to decline the project.

I oppose this project because I don’t want my tax dollars going into infrastructure that will directly harm my children through climate change. Snowy Hydro expects its proposed station to generate 500,000 tCO2e a year — to offset this we would need to take the equivalent of 109,000 passenger vehicles off the road, or cultivate 8.3 million trees over a 10-year period. That is a huge effort, and it's something that we cannot afford given the climate emergency we face today.

I also oppose this project because it relies on soon-to-be outdated technology. The proposed station relies on diesel and gas. The proposal notes that it will need to be upgraded — adding further costs — if it is to use hydrogen in future. As a taxpayer, I do not want to be saddled with a white elephant that will continually require more money to upgrade and/or repurpose in future.

Finally, I oppose this project for economic reasons. There are better options that are either already available or are being built by the private sector, and having the Government intervene in this way will send the wrong signals to the market, holding the Australian energy industry back. As our trading partners decarbonise, Australia has an enormous opportunity to dominate the clean energy industry as we once did with resources. Instead of propping up the rapidly declining fossil fuel sector, our tax dollars must go towards supporting the development of our nascent renewable energy industry. I want Australia to make better, future-looking investments that will strengthen our economy so my children will have the opportunity to live and work in a clean, prosperous nation that they can be proud to call home.

I’m a parent of two small children that lived through a terrifying evacuation during the 2020 bushfires. I have a 7 year old that is extremely anxious whenever she sees fire. I wish to strongly object to this project given its incompatibility with the International Energy Agency 2020 report for there to be no new fossil fuel production or expansion if we are to avoid a catastrophic climate emergency.

I was completely devastated to see the 2021 budget include $600 million of taxpayer money for this power plant and no commitment to renewable energies. My heart breaks to not be able to guarantee my children a livable future. The government is failing in its duty to protect people and the environment.

I have been heartened with the recent court judgement that established that there is a new duty of care to protect young people from forseeable future climate change harms and that there is a clear link between fossil fuel projects and those harms. My eight year old joined in solidarity with the 8 young litigants. She wants the government to act to protect her future. In that judgement the judge found that “When there is foreseeability of harm, you have a duty as a person in a position to prevent it, to do just that.” Investing in this project undoubtedly fails in that duty.

The International Energy Agency found in their 2020 Report that we are headed to a catastrophic temperature rise. They are clear that as of 2021 no new oil, gas and coal investments are needed if we want to reach our target. This includes new or expanded coal mines, as well as no new oil fields or gas extraction projects.

It is hard to see how this project is compatible with any state-level emissions targets. This project does not make any economic sense - it is considered unnecessary by the energy sector. It will not create the jobs that the renewable sector would generate. There are cheaper options available which would reduce power bill cost. As it stands, this project will provide expensive power, with no significant job creation, it will impact negatively on the air quality and the health and well being of local Hunter families and communities, it will be damaging to the local wildlife and have devastating climate impacts. The NSW Government cannot in good faith approve of this project when there is no sound business case, it would be a failing in its duty of care to young people, it is against unequivocal advice from climate science experts and would be willfully contributing to a climate catastrophe.

I implore you to discontinue this proposed project immediately.

Hi, I’m April a 16 year old high school student currently living in Medowie NSW. I am writing this submission today opposing the construction of Snowy Hydro’s Kurri Kurri gas fired power station. I have outlined in the below statements why I am opposing this construction and the impact that it will have on my and my generations future.
Fossil fuel emissions are a major issue in regards to building a sustainable future; New South Wales has made a commitment to net zero greenhouse emissions by 2050 which requires no new fossil fuel developments. However, the development of this power station would see 14.8 million tones of greenhouse gases to be put into the surrounding air over the course of the plants 30 year operation. The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for this construction does not make any mention of this commitment and has made no effort to reduce greenhouse gases and fossil fuel emissions. The pollution that would be put into the surrounding atmosphere would have significant effects on the community and the quality of air that they are breathing and living in. This affects people of all ages, although, specifically this affects people under the age of 30 and future generations that may come. What the EIS does not take into consideration is the impact that this plant will have on myself and members of my generation as well as our children and grandchildren.

Although this power plant will only be running 12% of the time; 2% of the time the plant with be running on diesel fuel. Diesel fuel emits fine particle and oxides of nitrogen pollution. The nearest monitoring station of fine particle pollution has an average level of fine particle pollution that already exceeds national standards and ozone, which forms in the atmosphere as a pollution by-product of oxides of nitrogen emissions, already “occasionally” exceeds assessment criteria nearly every year. This affects the whole Lower Hunter Region and community. The EIS does not make mention of said emissions and the inevitable impact that they will have on the surrounding community.

As a 16 year old that is currently living in the Hunter Region I believe that I as well as all members of the community have a right to clean air and to a sustainable future for New South Wales (NSW). The construction of this gas fired power plant does not take the needs of the community into consideration and instead puts political agendas above the community.

I am writing to oppose the Kurri Kurri power station because it makes no economic sense and further perpetuates a dangerous and unsafe climate for the Australian people. I am mother of 2 children, I am scared for their future, we are out of time with climate change, we need to do everything in our power to mitigate certain catastrophic collapse of our planet. But rather than decisive positive action, we are going even further backwards with reducing our carbon emissions.

We call ourselves the lucky country, and we are, we have so much land, air and sun available to us to produce environmentally safe and efficient energy production, why would you look to build new gas plants that makes no environmental or economic sense. The project is incompatible with NSW Government’s legal and moral obligations and its ability to meet its own emission targets. Recently we have seen in the Sharma v Minister for Environment (May 29, 2021) case that it has established a new duty of care to protect young people from foreseeable future climate change harms and a clear link between fossil fuel projects and those harms (source: https://www.judgments.fedcourt.gov.au/judgments/Judgments/fca/single/2021/2021fca0560), clearly the proposed Kurri Kurri power station contravenes this very ruling. It makes no sense!

Thanks for the opportunity to make a submission on this important proposal. I write to oppose this project. I am sixty years old and I have been concerned about the greenhouse effect for decades. More recently I have been both amazed and appalled at reactions to the impending disastrous effect of climate change exacerbated by the greenhouse effect. There are very many highly reputable sources of information that clearly state that the current climate change is directly caused by human activity that releases greenhouse gases. My amazement has been because so called “climate denialism” seems to have disappeared and many people including many young people are demanding climate action. I am appalled that governments are not heeding the warnings and ignoring the protestations of the people.
This project seems to me to fail on every single aspect. Some key facets that must be considered follow:
1. There are better more sustainable options to maintain the reliability of the electricity network
“At a time when Australia is already experiencing the devastating impacts of climate change there is a powerful need for the country to move away from the use of coal, oil and gas. In industries where gas can be replaced by zero emissions sources, such as the electricity sector (Australian Energy Market Operator 2020a) and in many industrial heat applications (Lord 2018), gas consumption should be eliminated wherever possible.” (Stock, Bourne, Steffen, & Baxter, 2020)
2. This project fails to meet economic feasibility
“The federal government’s gold plating of the electricity generation sector will lead to higher power prices for consumers. According to Snowy Hydro, the government’s announced Kurri Kurri plant will operate only 2% of the time. Snowy Hydro already has a virtually unused gas peaking plant at Colongra just south of Newcastle. It is virtually unused – working at just 0.2% in the last year. In Australia, gas usage for gas-powered generation has already declined by 42% since 2014. We don’t need more gas plants.” (Robertson, 2021)
3. Does not meet NSW government’s Net Zero Plan. (Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, 2020)
References
Department of Planning, Industry and Environment. (2020). Net Zero Plan. Parramatta NSW AU: Environment, Energy and Science (in Department of Planning).
Robertson, B. (2021). Why ‘gold-plated’ gas plan makes zero sense. Lakewood, OH: IEEFA Australia.
Stock, A., Bourne, G., Steffen, W., & Baxter, T. (2020). PASSING GAS: WHY RENEWABLES ARE THE FUTURE. Sydney AU: Climate Council of Australia Limited.

I am deeply opposed to the building of a gas-fired power plant at Kurri Kurri in NSW.

I am a children’s author, teacher, voter and keen bushwalker. I care deeply about this country and working with children to encourage their creativity and their passion for looking after the environment. I believe it is our responsibility to do so and to educate our children to do the same for the health of all Australians and long-term economic prosperity.

I believe the gas plant would run counter to Australia’s climate targets and environmental laws and that there are greener alternatives to creating energy that will not only help protect our environment but create jobs for the people of the Hunter Valley, thereby also protecting their economic future.

Building such a plant also goes against the ’duty of care’ the government has towards the Australian people. Sharma v Minister for Environment (May 29, 2021) established a new duty of care to protect young people from foreseeable future climate change harms and establishes a clear link between fossil fuel projects and those harms.

It also goes against NSW’s net zero plan and contradicts the NSW Clean Air Strategy 2021-30, which promises to: ‘Support private sector investment in new clean energy generation ... to replace ageing fossil fuel–powered generators as they retire in coming decades.”

If we are going to meet our climate targets and reduce the impact of climate change for the protection of future generations, we need to stop emissions as soon as possible. We also have an obligation to look after this country. The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 obligates the government to take care of our biodiversity, but we cannot protect the environment if we do not address climate change.

I object to the use of $600million of public money to fund a project the private sector will not support and they have not supported it because it simply does not make financial sense. Matt Kean, the NSW Energy and Environment Minister says, “Using gas to create electricity is a really expensive way to do
it. If you’re interested in driving down electricity prices, then you’d be mad to use gas.”

The proposal is economically nonsensical. According to Kerry Schott from the Australian Energy Security Board, “Nobody is going to build it from the private sector because it doesn’t stack up. Because it’s expensive power, it’s hard to see it makes commercial sense.”

As far as jobs are concerned, after the initial 250 jobs construction, the plant will employ a mere 10 people a year. We should be looking at ways to create more substantial and sustainable employment for the people of the Hunter Valley.

The global community is moving away from fossil fuels, building the gas plant at Kurri Kurri goes against this global trend and will leave Australia behind both in respects to our obligation to reduce greenhouse emissions, protect our environment and economy. Hydrogen is a very expensive way to produce electricity and the demand for it declining, therefore there is a great danger that the plant will become obsolete by the time it is built.

Building a gas plant will pollute the air quality for families in the Hunter Valley, which is already effected due to coal mining and coal-fired power stations in the area. The plant will add to noxious gases and particulate pollutants, which contravenes NSW Clean Air Strategy. It will adversely impact kids and older Australians. The site also currently has no gas connection therefore for the first year the plant will run on diesel, which is a far worse pollutant.

For economic, health and environmental reasons, I strongly object to the building of a gas plant in Kurri Kurri, particularly when there are better, cheaper, cleaner, long-term alternatives with prospects of much greater job and wealth creation. As the world moves away from fossil fuels, so should Australia, to secure cleaner air and cleaner energy solutions for our kids’ future and the economic future of this country.

Please see attached document.

This is an important project for the supply of power and jobs to the region

I object to this gas/ diesel power station because it's a waste of money.
It is unnecessay and polluting

Greetings,
Please be advised, to avoid duplicating TfNSW submissions, the collective TfNSW Response will be uploaded by Roads and Maritime Services Account in the Portal. Thank you for your consideration in this matter. Sincerely, Robert Rutledge, Transport Planning Manager, TfNSW