Kamay Battery Energy Storage System

I am an elderly Kurnell resident and I strongly object to the proposed Kamay Battery Energy Storage System.

I bought my home here three years ago because I believed Kurnell was a place where I could feel safe, settled and secure. I live within 400 metres of the proposed facility, and I do not want this development so close to my home.

My first concern is simple: the community does not want it. Residents should have a meaningful say when a development of this size and risk is proposed so close to where we live.

I am also very concerned about fire risk. Kurnell already lives with the Ampol fuel terminal and large amounts of stored fuel. I do not believe we should be adding another development with its own fire risks so close to our homes and existing hazardous industry.

Evacuation is another major concern. Kurnell has one main road in and out. If there was a serious fire or emergency, how would residents get out while emergency vehicles were trying to get in? As an elderly person, that is frightening. I need to know that I can leave safely in an emergency.
I am also worried about noise. A large battery facility operating day and night could change the peace and quiet of the area I chose to call home.
I am not opposed to batteries or renewable energy. I am opposed to putting this facility in the wrong location.

Please see submission attached from Shire Climate Action Network

Opposing letter attached.

I strongly object to the proposed Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) development at Kurnell.

Kurnell is a place of significant historical, environmental, and cultural importance as the landing site of Captain James Cook. This unique area has already been heavily impacted by industrial development, including the import terminal operating on the former Caltex refinery site. Continuing to industrialise this limited and environmentally sensitive area is unacceptable.

My key concerns include:

Traffic and access: Kurnell has only one road in and out. In the event of an emergency, accident, or bushfire, this creates significant safety concerns for residents and visitors.
Impact on residents: Local residents already experience substantial noise from aircraft operations and existing industrial activities. Additional infrastructure will further reduce the amenity and quality of life of the community.
Environmental impacts: The proposal raises concerns about potential impacts on nearby wetlands, native vegetation, and protected species. These environmentally sensitive areas should be preserved rather than subjected to further industrial development.
Cumulative impacts: Kurnell has already absorbed more than its fair share of industrial infrastructure. The cumulative effects of continued development must be considered rather than assessing each project in isolation.

I urge decision-makers to consider alternative sites in more remote industrial areas where impacts on residents, environmentally sensitive land, and historically significant locations would be minimised.

For these reasons, I strongly oppose this proposal.

Kind regards,
Diana Henderson

I am one of the Councillors on the Sutherland Shire Council looking after A Ward. I have been a Councillor for 26 years. Kurnell is part of that Ward.
I am concerned at the many developments being proposed at Kurnell. There is the large proposal by Besmaw to build another suburb in the area with well over 3000 homes. The road in/out of Kurnell is a single lane each way and I have already commented on this proposal as it is also a SSD. There are 2 BESS projects being proposed (Ausgrid and Ampol). Any proposal must be assessed by looking at all the proposals and the cumulative effects they have on the Birthplace of the Nation. As a Council we have limited development to ensure we keep the village atmosphere. If all these proposals are approved we will ruin this unique village atmosphere. I attend the Kurnell Progress Association meetings with the community which is also attended by local Federal and State MP’s. I believe I have a good fix on the community after attending these meetings for 26 years.
On the Kamay BESS project my main concern is the noise being emanated from the proposal in close proximity to the residents. There are residents in Tasman st less than 140m from the proposal.The noise at night time will be annoying and detrimental to many residents.
I also note that the proposal has no community benefit fund if the Government decides to approve the proposal. There should be compensation to beautify the area from the developers.
Considering all the negatives I am unable to support the proposal and I would suggest it be rejected.
Regards
Cr Carol Provan. OAM

I strongly object to the proposed Kamay Battery Energy Storage System in Kurnell.

I came to Australia, made it my home and became an Australian citizen. I am proud of this country and its history, which is why I find the continued treatment of Kurnell so difficult to understand.

Kurnell is not simply an industrial location on a map. It is a place of extraordinary significance to Australia. It holds deep Aboriginal cultural heritage and is central to the story of first contact between Aboriginal people and Europeans. It is also surrounded by an extraordinary natural environment, including internationally significant wetlands, national park, waterways and important habitat for native wildlife.

Yet for generations, Kurnell has been expected to carry an enormous share of Sydney’s industrial burden.

We cannot undo the poor planning decisions of the past, but we can choose not to repeat them.

The proposed Kamay BESS would add another major piece of infrastructure to a small peninsula already accommodating fuel storage and other industrial uses, close to homes and environmentally sensitive areas, with Captain Cook Drive providing the only main road in and out.

My objection is not to renewable energy or battery storage. It is to the choice of this location.

Planning decisions today should recognise the cumulative burden already placed on Kurnell and consider what this extraordinary place should look like for future generations.

Kurnell deserves a future that protects and enhances its cultural heritage, Aboriginal history and natural environment. We should be restoring degraded land, protecting our wetlands and waterways, celebrating Kurnell’s nationally significant history and creating opportunities for conservation, heritage and recreation.

Australia has learned a great deal about the importance of protecting its environment and cultural heritage. Kurnell should be an example of how we correct the mistakes of the past, not a place where we continue making them.

I respectfully ask the Department to refuse the Kamay BESS in this location and require genuine consideration of alternative sites that do not impose another industrial development on this historically, culturally and environmentally significant peninsula.

I object to this proposal because of location concerns:
• Potential noise impacts on nearby residents. The noise reports show that noise will increase for the residents, even with mitigation and turning fans to 50% capacity during the evenings.
• Fire safety and emergency response considerations, particularly given the limited one road access and egress to Kurnell.
• The site’s proximity to Australia’s largest fuel storage precinct (70m).
• The location is adjacent to internationally recognised wetlands, aquatic reserves and protected mangroves, including 1m from the Towra Point Aquatic Reserve
• The presence of Aboriginal heritage within the project area and questions surrounding the assessment of those heritage values.
• The final battery technology has not yet been selected, despite technical reports referencing Tesla Megapack 2 as a representative technology. Similar battery systems elsewhere have been the subject of noise complaints and fire incidents.
I also object to the absence of a clearly identified community benefit fund, despite this being raised during community consultation.

I hereby strongly disagree w the proposed project. Kurnell is the birthplace of Australia. Tourists and people all over the world come to visit our beautiful home Kurnell. Kurnell has one way in and out. God forbid if there was a catastrophe. many lives are in danger. Another eyesore for our lovely suburb Kurnell. I think it is a disgrace

The location of the storage system is not only close to home, but it is close to protected wetlands, putting the lives of the community of Kurnell and the lives of wildlife at risk.
Kurnell has been treated like the dumping ground of the Sutherland Shire and it has to stop. The community and the area needs to be treated with respect.
We are already subjected to noise from the airport from planes and the wharfs, where fuel ships dock and unload or load their fuel. We dont need any further noise.
But the main reason for my objection if for the safety of the community. There is only one road in and out of our beautiful community and if there is any safety concerns with the storage system, that path would be blocked. With the water being our only other way of leaving the area, this put thousands of lives at rick. The wharf that has been built is non-operational so we would have no way to escape, meaning thousands of lives are at rick every day.
Instead of dumping business after business to Kurnell, it needs to start being treated as a residential community, not an industrial area.

I object to the proposed Kamay BESS due to concerns about its location within a residential community and the potential risks associated with a large-scale lithium-ion battery facility. These include the risk of fire and thermal runaway, toxic smoke and emissions during an incident, impacts on local air quality, noise, increased heavy vehicle movements and the adequacy of emergency response arrangements. Given Kurnell’s existing concentration of industrial infrastructure and environmental hazards, I do not believe additional potentially hazardous infrastructure should be placed so close to homes and the local community.

Please find pdf file attached

Kamay BESS plan has NON Compliant, Unregulated, Unethical Procurement Standards.

This application lacks transparent tracing for raw materials like lithium, cobalt, and nickel, which are frequently linked to modern slavery and severe environmental damage overseas.

Approving toxic BESS junk that depends on these unethical supply chains violates the Commonwealth Modern Slavery Act, New Modern Slavery Condition C4A and Intergenerational Equity principles by passing the moral and environmental costs of shamefully filthy and cruel energy choices onto local Councils and vulnerable global communities.

As long time residents in the Sutherland Shire for over 60 years we strongly object to the BESS being installed in the residential area of Kurnell. In 2021 our family purchased a property for multi generation living for my elderly mother and my adult daughter and her family. Considerable investment was made for this property which is located on the Kurnell peninsula which is a very community driven area together with spectacular flora and fauna. We understand the BESS needs to be installed somewhere to support the growing Sydney area however to install this system so close to a residential area, the Kurnell Oil Refinery (which has it's own set of risks) creating noise pollution and a high risk of fire/emergency situations is appalling. It is such a shame that the tiny residential suburb of Kurnell is yet again targeted and no consideration has been given to the current residents in relation to value of their properties which will undoubtably be affected by this project. Our family are strongly against this proposal.

Kamay BESS presents extremely dangerous, lethal, compounded hazards and ecocidal risks from escalating Thermal Runaway FIRE 🔥 events near substantial Fuel Storage infrastructure.

Placing a 150MW battery system near 750 million litres of fuel at the Ampol terminal creates a dangerous combination of FIRE 🔥 hazards.

A thermal runaway FIRE 🔥 event at the BESS would generate intense heat radiation, threatening nearby fuel tanks and risking a major industrial disaster that would be a public health and safety disaster for the objecting community - which local emergency services cannot safely manage.

Battery fires release poisonous, highly toxic gases like hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen cyanide, and carbon monoxide.
In a coastal environment, these gases will mix with damp sea air to form corrosive acids.
This toxic mist would threaten the health and the very lives of nearby residents and cause long-term damage to the ecosystems of Kamay Botany Bay National Park.
☠️STOP THIS POISONOUS PLAN!!☠️

I Object on the following grounds:
• It is destructive to native flora and fauna and harmful to the public;
• Construction will leave a legacy of land destruction that is unlikely to be rectified by the builder;
• It is an abomination on the natural landscape;
• It is part of a system that costs billions, does not work reliably and attempts to solve a problem that does not exist, in other words useless and irresponsible use of public funds;
• All such infrastructures should be built at developer’s expense, NOT on public funds.
We are told wind and solar are the cheapest, well prove it, remove all subsidises - do not build this BESS system on public funds;
• The TOTAL cost has not been verified by independent experts;
• There is NO verified scientific basis for reduction of CO2 in the atmosphere so this project is a total waste of public money, along with all other such projects. 
There is in fact reliable verifiable scientific proof that CO2 is beneficial to plant life and by extension to human life on earth.

The Kamay BESS should not be assessed as though it were the only major industrial development affecting the Kurnell peninsula.
Government agencies have already identified the proposal’s proximity to the proposed Kurnell Energy and Industry Precinct, SSD-86799993.
The cumulative effects of multiple industrial and energy projects need to be considered, including traffic, fire risk, emergency access, stormwater, biodiversity, noise and visual impacts.
The community should not be placed in a situation where each project is individually described as acceptable while the combined transformation of the peninsula becomes unacceptable.
I request a cumulative assessment of existing, approved and proposed major industrial and energy projects in Kurnell.
Any approval should also require a developer- and host-funded financial security covering decommissioning and rehabilitation.

I am writing to strongly object to the proposed Battery Energy Storage System in Kurnell.

I am 82 years old and have a long and deeply personal connection to Kurnell. I once lived in the Cliffs of Tabbagai, and I have seen enormous changes to this peninsula during my lifetime.

Kurnell is not just another industrial location. It is a place of extraordinary cultural, Aboriginal and European history. The Kurnell Peninsula and the shores of Kamay are significant to the Gweagal people and form part of the story of modern Australia. That history deserves respect and protection.

For generations, Kurnell has carried the burden of industry for the benefit of greater Sydney. We cannot continue to use that history as a reason to place more industrial infrastructure here.

At some point, government must say enough.

The future of Kurnell should be about repairing the damage of the past, protecting our remaining natural environment and preserving our cultural heritage for the generations that come after us.

We are surrounded by beautiful and environmentally important places, including Kamay Botany Bay National Park and the internationally significant wetlands of Towra Point. These areas should be protected and enhanced, not continually placed under pressure from further industrial development.

I am particularly concerned about placing another large industrial facility so close to our village, our environment and other existing industrial infrastructure. Kurnell has one main road in and out, and residents should not be expected to accept additional risk simply because industry already exists here.

At 82, I have watched Kurnell change over many decades. I would like future generations to inherit something better.

I ask the NSW Government to reject the proposed BESS in this location and take a different approach to Kurnell: remediate damaged land, protect our heritage, restore our environment and create a long-term vision that respects the extraordinary significance of this peninsula.

Kurnell has given enough. It is time to look after it.

The placement of a BESS at the Ausgrid site in Kurnell is not in line with the vision for Kurnell. It is less than 250m from residential homes. In the event of a fire in the BESS (likely as there are fires in BESS around the world, the smoke from the fire would be hazardouts to residents health as there are toxic gases. The water used to cool the other batteries in the BESS would be contaminated. Runoff would flow into the Towra Point Wetlands which is an internationally recognised wetlands site. Does the submission take into account Commonwealth environmental law? Given it is now late August, it would be appropriate for any decision around this BESS be looked at in line with any new federal approval provisions that are likely to come into effect in Dec as part of the establishment of the new National EPA established on 1 July.
There is no evacuation plan in place by Ausgrid in the event of an incident that would affect access along Captain Cook Drive, the main and only road (single lane each way) that runs past the Ausgrid site to Kurnell.
Light impacts from the site will have an effect (no matter what report is delivered) on the Towra Wetlands, and surrounds where protected shorebirds migrate to/from.
The BESS proposed is for 2 hrs of storage for 16000 homes. Seems like a lot of infrastructure capital investment for little gain but a large impact on the Kurnell community with no benefit for our commuity at all. It would be more appropriate for a BESS in a less impacted location to be considered than to place a BESS in a local community.
This proposal is just one of many industrial proposals for the Kurnell peninsula - there is no cumulative assessment happening to take into account all the proposals and what the whole impact would be. I strongly recommend that NSW Planning look at and request all parties who are impacting the Kurnell peninsula to do a cumulative impact assessement. This should be incumbent on NSW Planning to take the lead on and involve the local community through the KPPRA for input. I strongly object to the proposed BESS.

I hold concerns at the residence have not been adequately consulted on this project. I also believe we need a master plan for the Kurnell region as it has a number of competing use cases