Kamay Battery Energy Storage System

My objection concerns the cumulative fire risk created by concentrating major industrial and energy infrastructure in the Kurnell area.
The proposal should not be considered only in terms of whether the individual BESS is capable of complying with fire-safety requirements.
The Department should examine the consequences of multiple industrial incidents occurring in the same general area, including whether emergency resources could become stretched.
The cumulative assessment should include existing fuel infrastructure and other proposed industrial or energy projects.
I request that the Department obtain independent emergency-management advice before approving the project.

This community should be able to understand the risks of a project of this scale before it is approved.
Information about emergency procedures, fire risk, noise, construction traffic, flood risk and environmental protection should be presented in clear language rather than relying solely on technical reports.
I request that the proponent provide a plain-English community risk summary.
The community should also receive information about what happens after the facility reaches the end of its life.
In particular, residents should know that decommissioning and rehabilitation will be financially secured by the host and developer rather than left to the public.

Because of the long-term land-use consequences of the proposal deserve greater consideration.
Land committed to large-scale battery infrastructure is no longer readily available for alternative future uses.
Future generations may require land for environmental restoration, recreation, agriculture, community infrastructure or other purposes that cannot currently be predicted.
The Department should therefore assess the opportunity cost of permanently industrialising the site.
If the BESS is approved, the consent should require complete removal of the infrastructure at the end of its useful life.
The host landowner and developer should jointly provide a financial bond from the beginning of the project to guarantee that obligation.

The proposal is located in an environmentally sensitive part of the Kurnell peninsula close to Kamay Botany Bay National Park.
The planning material identifies Kamay Botany Bay National Park and other protected areas and wetlands in the surrounding area.
The Department should consider not only the physical footprint of the BESS but also potential indirect effects on surrounding protected areas.
A major battery fire, uncontrolled stormwater discharge or construction disturbance could have consequences beyond the project boundary.
I request strong conditions protecting surrounding environmental areas and requiring immediate response to any environmental incident.
The developer and host should also provide a financial bond sufficient to restore the site following decommissioning.