Modification 2 Decentralised BESS

Western intelligence agencies are constantly warning that Chinese hackers actively target energy infrastructure they produce - like this unethical, insecure plan that would illogically expand our exposure - threatening national security.
(PBS News, 2024 - FBI Director Christopher Wray warning)

It is totally illogical to plan to fail so extensively - with an intermittent, weather dependent Solar/Wind/BESS ‘Transition’ that DOESN’T WORK MOST OF THE TIME, that has an endless and irreversibly poisonous, monumental footprint that is ABSOLUTELY NOT FOR THE GREATER GOOD.

CCP produced, toxic contaminating BESS like this unethical project are putting Australian people at extreme risk and hardship by subjecting Australia to a National Security Nightmare.
Just like Reuters’ confirmed undocumented communication devices inside Chinese inverters - validating fears of hidden access and sabotage capability.
(“Rogue Communication Devices Found in Chinese Inverters”- Reuters, 14 May 2025)

I Object to the BESS 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 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.

Unacceptable, Unethical Modern Slavery is built into China’s BESS.
ASPI documents that large-scale batteries rely on forced labour, coercive mining, and human-rights abuses, undermining ethical claims.
ASPI Strategist, Editors’ Picks 2024

This is a disastrous plan as independent energy analysts describe modern renewable-battery systems as “beautifully hackable”, prioritising remote control over security.
(Irina Slav – Beautifully Hackable, 12 Aug 2024)

This horrible plan is all a lie! It’s fake green moral posturing masking unethical sourcing and poisonous consequences.

The plan claims environmental virtue while exporting human suffering and pollution to authoritarian regimes and wrecking Australia.

This BESS plan cannot be approved as it is a huge National Security Risk to Australia!
Any system capable of remote updates can also be remotely disabled or manipulated, including safety systems during conflict or coercion.

We completely object and do not consent to this evil, poisonous and treacherous plan that’s designed to rip off Australian people, contaminate our land/water /biodiversity/the public and enable our greatest enemy to control and harm us.

We totally object to all this toxic, insecure, unethical, incapable, RUIN-A-BULL RUBBISH- like this BESS - that’s costing us $$$Billions in wasted Public Money, won’t even work most of the time and is making Australia a weak, vassal state of China.
STOP THIS NOW!

I am opposed to Yass Valley(Coppabella) Wind Farm Modification to include decentralised battery energy storage units at the majority of turbine sites. This modification requires a full new application as the impact of 1,050 MWh of batteries in 300 lithium battery containers is a huge change to the original consent and requires a full environmental impact study.
Fire risk would be heightened, putting a strain on already over stretched RFS volunteers. Toxic fumes resulting from any fires would travel many kilometres impacting surrounding residents on farms and in villages.
The modification contravenes Yass Valley council policy, opposing construction of any more wind turbines in the already saturated Valley.
Local safety is paramount. I urge the Department of Planning to consider the local community, the local ecology and this fire prone region.
Thank you for your consideration.

See attached letter of objection.

If we are going to meet our net zero targets and help mitigate climate change we need more of these projects.

I have been associated with the Coppabella turbine project as a Yass Valley Council delegate to the Coppabella CCC and private individual over the last decade. This project always has been, and remains a social, environmental and economic disaster. This, and the fact that it does not have a viable link to the electricity grid means that It has never been able to attract substantive funding and does not have a local social license.
The Coppabella project was poorly planned from inception, perhaps because it was a "residual" option left after the rejection of a much bigger project. However the poor planning has been made much worse as less than impressive management has played catch-up leading the community having to endure seemingly endless revisions, modifications and reshaping. The purpose of this last modification would seem to be to try and garner some value for the project owners.
The erection of turbines on top of the sensitive and preciously scant soils of the Coppabella Hills has always been going lead to gully erosion and land slips as access roads and hard stands cause water to accumulate and run in streams to the creeks below. These creeks will be subject to siltation and pollution as occurred with the Rye Park turbine sites. The addition of Teh BESS units will exacerbate this problem and add the possibility of contamination by the range of chemicals and heavy metals associated with these units. While the NSW Government has accepted the risk of soil pollution, this proposal increases the potential for disaster.
The issues associated with turbines, their ability to start fires and the limitations that they impose on fire fighting capabilities (especially from the air) are well known and will apply to the Coppabella turbines. However the thought of a ruaway battery blaze on the top of a Coppabella hilltop would provide a uniquely unsolveable firefighting hazard. Not only would it be impossible to contain the fire, it would be impossible to contain the residue which would find its way to the Murrumbidgee River and to the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area food bowl.
My experience as a Councillor is that the Coppabella project has already caused considerable social division in the community. This project has divided Binalong and Bookham communities and to a lesser extent in the wider Yass Valley community. This has led to less co-operation between meighbours, lower volunteer rates and generally less viable and happy communities. All this without a single turbine being erected. The experience of Rye Park is that this situation only worsens when the planning becomes a reality and the addition of the apprehension caused by potentially unstable batteries on nearby hills can only make the situation even worse. In particular the presence of these batteries will inevitably be reflected in even further reduced land values for neighbors especially those whose properties downstream of known water flows (west and south) and bush fire paths (to the east).
The erosion, fire, social and economic impacts outlined above are additive. They come on top of the impacts that will occur through the erection of the turbines themselves. Therefore the consideration of the modification should take into account the whole project impact. Further, many of the impacts on the community and the local economy begin with the mere announcement of the endorsement of the project by the Government. These areas have already suffered socially and economically as a result of the initial decision and the first modification. This community deserves better from their government that to be strung along yet again while suffering the social and economic pain of having a disastrous project hanging over them.

Finally I question the claimed returns to the wider NSW community from the installation of these batteries. The proponents claim in their Executive Summary that:
"The inclusion of BESS units at individual turbine sites will add significant benefit and value to the Project with the
value extending to the NSW consumer and the broader electricity market. The design of the DC-Coupled BESS has
the advantage of storing excess energy from each turbine which may have otherwise been lost, which occurs when
wind turbine generators are either constrained by the Australian Energy Market Organisation (AEMO) or the
wholesale market price is negative. The “excess” energy which is stored in the BESS units can be released at times
of high energy demand or times of low wind conditions thereby aligning output better with NEM supply objectives."

Whilst on the surface this sounds economically plausible, in fact the turbine project has limited access to the grid and so it will only be serendipitous if needs of an energy starved grid align with the opportunity to put power into the link to these turbines. So while the batteries may allow the turbines to sell more power by taking every opportunity to sell through the constrained grid link, it is highly unlikely that this source could provide meaningful back-up to the grid in times of low production from other sources. My experience with watching the operation of Bango turbines is that operators maximise their own profits and are indifferent tot the needs of the grid and the consumer.

My wife and I would have liked to have provided a more comprehensive submission, but unfortunately we have not had time given the shortened time frames. This modification is no more than an attempt to breathe some life into a nonviable project that has no chance of success without the modification and little chance with it. However the impact on our local community is real and current. Please refuse this last, self-interested play by the proponents to make a profit from a bad idea at the community's and government's expense. Please let this bad project die.

Geoff Frost BSc (Hons), BEc, former Councillor Yass Valley Council
Jean Frost

TOTALLY INAPPROPRIATE IN A RURAL AREA.
RENEWABLES ARE BEING PROMOTED WITHOUT APPROPRIATE CONSIDERATION OF ALTERNATIVES.
COAL
GAS
NUCLEAR
A DISGRACEFUL LEFT WING GREENY LABOUR PROJECT OF ZERO VALUE

Destructive BESS plans like this pathetically incapable, purveyor of poison wrongly relies on heavy taxpayer subsidies - financially unsustainable without them - shifting risk from the fake green carpetbaggers to the public and locking in long-term fiscal exposure and economic suicide for Australia.

No more toxic rubbish in our environment. This is all backed up by diesel generators because wind and solar is UNRELIABLE. STOP using taxpayers money to enable foreign companies to profit from the energy market at the expense of domestic electricity consumers.

I object to this modification on the grounds that the proposed addition of a Battery Energy Storage System is a material change to the originally approved wind farm and introduces risks that were not previously assessed.
Lithium-ion battery storage presents well-documented fire hazards, including thermal runaway, prolonged burn times, toxic smoke, and the potential for contaminated firefighting runoff. These risks are particularly concerning in a rural location where emergency response resources may be limited. The proposal does not demonstrate that local services are equipped to manage such incidents safely.
There is also insufficient assessment of contamination risks. Battery fires and suppression activities can release hazardous substances into soil and groundwater, with long-term consequences for surrounding agricultural land and water resources.
At the time of exhibition, there is limited publicly available technical detail regarding battery enclosure materials, fire suppression systems, water containment, or end-of-life management. Without this information, meaningful community assessment is not possible.
Finally, the use of the modification process to introduce substantial new infrastructure after approval undermines the integrity of the planning system. Projects should be assessed on their full scope from the outset, not incrementally expanded through later amendments.
For these reasons, this modification should not be approved in its current form.