Hunter Transmission Project

I am gravely concerned that there is no serious consideration been given to the biodiversity crisis that is in train in the region and NSW. There appears to be no understanding that an endangered species means that it is in danger of extinction.
This HTP proponent has used the Biodiversity Assessment Method and the Biodiversity Development Assessment Report to identify hundreds of thousands of biodiversity credits generated by the HTP. This reflects a major impact on biodiversity.
But in the September 2025 Biodiversity Factsheet it states "The Hunter Transmission Project may affect biodiversity and natural habitats." This is clearly absurd.
The EnergyCo has no ecological understanding. The fact sheet also states: To make sure the work is focused on the most important areas, EnergyCo will help develop a Conservation Investment Strategy (CIS) for the Hunter region. What role will they play?
The CIS and the Strategic Offsets Delivery Agreement (SODA) documents should have been part of the public consultation.
There has been no serious consideration of more naturepositive options, including an upgrade using existing transmission easements.

Please find attached correspondence. Apologies, this replaces the version sent within the last hour. Thanks.

Please see attached submission to the EIS and supporting documents

As a landowner in the path of HTP, I strongly oppose the overhead 500 kV line cutting across my farmland. This new corridor threatens waterways—creeks and drainage lines—that are essential for irrigation, stock water and biodiversity. The project claims to “unlock renewables” but that does not justify destroying farmland or water quality when existing lines could be upgraded or underground options considered. Moreover, aerial firefighting efforts will be impeded: high voltage lines force aircraft to stay back, reducing ability to drop retardants or do patrols. Internationally, transmission line failures have started catastrophic bushfires (e.g. in CA, USA). What provisions will compensate for loss of pasture, crop yield, and water contamination if these incidents occur and aerial suppression is prohibited by voltage hazards?

I object about thr planned path through millfield.
Not only will it destroy its natural beauty, natural animal habitats, but also affect future house sales prices.
There are other more sensible paths away from millfield that can be used.
Stop destroying small towns we want to keep our tree lines, not sights of powerlines

I vigorously oppose the Hunter Transmission Project due to its permanent detrimental impact on strategic agricultural land and farming enterprises.

I object to the Hunter Transmission Project (HTP) on the grounds that this new overhead 500 kV double circuit line is not necessary. Existing transmission corridors already run through the Upper to Lower Hunter; why must a brand‐new 110 km overhead line bisect prime farmland when capacity could be increased on those lines already present? The proposed route is dangerously close to waterways (rivers, creeks, wetlands) which will suffer habitat disruption, erosion, siltation and water pollution. Overhead lines also pose a grave fire hazard: faults, arcing or component failure during extreme heat could spark fires that cannot be suppressed from the air due to danger of flying aircraft into high voltage zones. Global case studies show transmission disasters where wells, livestock, homes and ecosystems were destroyed. If this project proceeds, what guarantee is there that fires will be suppressed when aerial firefighting becomes impossible under or near the lines during severe bushfires, high winds or smoke?

I am concerned about a renewable energy project taking priority of biodiversity. Environmental concerns including endangered vegetation and habitat destruction , threatened species including the swift parrot , regent honey eater, green and golden bell frog, Littlejohns tree frog and landscape and visual impacts.

Please see attached submission regarding our objection to the HTP running through the Millfield valley. Please don't let this happen to us, this place is our life and it is beautiful. The long term impacts on the community will far outweigh any short term cost savings EnergyCo are hell bent on achieving by building a completely new corridoor because its easy for their trucks, rather than using existing small lines that could more cost effectively be widened to achieve the same goal. thank you.

I object to the application SSI-7061045 for the reasons set out in the attached.

I object to this project and all the permanent destruction that comes with it.

I object to the project. Please see attached letter.

Dear sir. I am making a submission regarding the 500kV high tension power lines suspended between towers of 85 m high passing within the take off and landing corridor of the runways at the Warkworth airfield in the north Hunter region of NSW. These lines and towers are a dangerous obstacle for glider pilots flying from the Warkworth airfield. They will intrude into the take off and landing corridor causing inexperienced pilots like myself to rather not fly from the airfield and remove another field from the options available to me. I can only imagine the danger and difficulty of returning from a cross country flight low and be faced with a cage of high tension cables threatening to electrocute me, or being aero towed by a tug experiencing engine problems and not climbing and flying directly into the cables. These risks are not acceptable when they encroach on a currently safe airfield turning it into a marginal airfield. Something can be done about this unsatisfactory state of affair's and I appeal to your good judgement.

I appeal to the designers of this project to move the track of these cables sufficiently away from the Warkworth airfield to remove the extreme danger that they present.

Thank you for your attention.

Shaun McMenamin
0479 198 704.

To whom it may concern
I live in millfield where the proposed project is ment to be taken place.
First off this is a small town and so is its roads which are barely drivable with just car traffic let alone heavy equipment being haul over it.
The proposed sites across from the school will effect drop off and pick ups and effect children learning as well as health concers from dust which will be caused by earth works.
This will also bring children safety into question with the increase traffic burden placed around the school area.
Such a project will also effect the native wild life in the area which supports many endangered species.
There are 3 road giving access to millfield one from wollimbi which has worse roads than us the other sand creek road which is more of a goat track or access from cessnock.
Now access from cesnock which all ready has significant road works taking place also has a bridge which is called the pinch. Heavy machinery being haul though this area will more than likely cause a accident or damage the bridge it self.
A better plan is need here the damage to roads children safety and environmental impact will be significant.

This transmission project is an unforgivable betrayal—driven by foreign-compromised profiteers, destroying landscapes, defiling precious biodiversity including Littlejohn's Tree Frog, wrecking Intergenerational Equity and eroding every pillar of national sovereignty.

please refer attached

Disgraceful Greenwashing by crooked, predatory ENERGY CO - promulgating false climate narrative, using "renewables" as a smokescreen for industrial-scale land theft, ecosystem destruction, and wealth transfer to the CCP.

Submission to NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) Regarding the Hunter Transmission Project (HTP)

On Behalf of the Hunter Valley Gliding Club (HVGC)

1. Introduction

The Hunter Valley Gliding Club (HVGC) is the owner and operator of Warkworth Aerodrome, a vital community aviation asset in the Singleton LGA. For decades, we have successfully managed the safety of our gliding operations while being surrounded by major mining developments. This has been achieved through good-faith negotiations and legally binding agreements that have mitigated risks.

We have reviewed the Aviation Impact Assessment (AIA) for the Hunter Transmission Project (HTP). While the AIA concludes there is "no adverse impact," this conclusion is based on a theoretical model of perfect pilot performance. In reality, the HTP introduces a significant and permanent new hazard that will adversely impact the safety, operational flexibility, and long-term viability of our club.

The AIA itself provides the evidence for these impacts. Our aim is not to block this critical infrastructure project, but to ensure that NSW Planning imposes conditions on any approval that mandates EnergyCo to negotiate with us in good faith to develop a Safety Management Plan, just as was required for mining projects like United Wambo Joint Venture. This proven process is essential to protect public safety.

2. The Adverse Impacts the AIA Acknowledges (But Understates)

The AIA confirms several key points that directly impact our club:

· A New, Major Obstacle: The 85m high transmission line will be placed just 1.87 km from our airfield boundary, directly to the east. This is taller than the existing powerlines and directly on the extended centreline of our main runway.
· Infringement of Our Protected Airspace: The project will infringe the unofficial Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS) that we have successfully established with neighbouring mines to protect our airspace. This sets a dangerous precedent.
· Impacts on Emergency Training: The AIA admits that the HTP will make areas between the airfield and the transmission line unsuitable for practicing "outlandings" (emergency landings). This is a critical safety skill for our pilots, and losing this training area is a direct adverse impact.
· Complication of Competition Flying: The AIA states that our competition directors will now have to plan tasks around the transmission line, potentially requiring higher finish altitudes. This reduces operational flexibility and adds complexity.

3. The Core Problem: Theory vs. Reality

The AIA's "no adverse impact" finding relies on the assumption that in every situation, a pilot will perform perfectly. However, gliding involves managing risk in dynamic conditions. The greatest danger is during emergencies, such as a tow rope breaking at low altitude, when a pilot has seconds to decide where to land.

The HTP places a lethal obstacle in the primary emergency landing zone for take-offs to the east. While the AIA says a pilot "should" be able to avoid it, the reality is that this dramatically increases the risk and consequences of an error during a high-stress, life-threatening situation. This is an unacceptable burden to place on our volunteer pilots.

4. Our Request for Negotiation and a Binding Safety Management Plan

We are not asking for the project to be stopped. We are asking for the same responsible planning conditions that have previously ensured coexistence between our club and major infrastructure.

We request that the Minister for Planning impose a condition on any approval for the HTP that requires EnergyCo to:

"Negotiate in good faith with the Hunter Valley Gliding Club to finalise and fund a comprehensive Safety Management Plan (SMP) to the satisfaction of both parties, prior to the commencement of construction."

This negotiation should address the following key points:

Point of Negotiation What We Want to Achieve
1. Enhanced Marking & Visibility The AIA recommends marker balls on the wires as a "precaution." We want this made mandatory. Furthermore, we want to discuss the best colour and spacing of these markers for maximum visibility for glider pilots.

2. Funding for Safety Infrastructure
Funding for club safety upgrades, such as improved wind indicators, potential lighting for the markers, or updated mapping systems for our gliders to clearly show the HTP hazard.
3. Updated Procedures & Training Collaboration to formally update our club’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), pilot briefings, and training programs to specifically address the HTP.
4. Ongoing Communication Protocol A formal agreement for notification during construction (e.g., when cranes are used) and for the life of the asset (e.g., if maintenance requires temporary hazards).
5. Long-Term Review A mechanism to review the Safety Management Plan periodically to ensure it remains effective.

5. Conclusion

The Hunter Valley Gliding Club is an important recreational and training facility that has proven it can coexist with major industry through careful planning and negotiation. The current AIA acknowledges the risks the HTP creates but fails to mandate the necessary steps to properly manage them.

A condition for good-faith negotiation is a standard, reasonable, and proven planning tool. It was essential for managing the impacts of mining, and it is even more critical for managing the risk of a 500kV transmission line placed in close proximity to our active runway.

We urge the Department to ensure the safety of our members and the future of our club by making this negotiation a mandatory condition of approval.

Yours sincerely,

Martin Crowhurst
On behalf of the Members of the Hunter Valley Gliding Club.

No Consent, No Social Licence, No Legitimacy!
This is a predatory bully bulldozing through NSW with zero social licence, ignoring public outrage, expert opposition, and basic democratic process—authoritarian dictators working for the CCP & the demise of Australia’s electricity grid.

This is CCP Engineered Collapse of our Electricity Grid!
With no engineering rigour, no scientific justification, and no functioning economic model, this is a planned collapse of grid stability and energy self-sufficiency.