Shoalhaven Pumped Hydro Expansion Project - Main Works

Pumped hydro is an important method of storing renewable energy so that it can be fed back into the grid at times of low renewable energy production.
This project uses existing water storage reservoirs and so has minimal environmental impact.
Projects like this are essential to support the transition of our electricity system to renewable energy.

I am ‘for’ this project, assuming that the details/concerns in my submission are addressed.

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I am writing as a property owner in Kangaroo Valley, very concerned about the proposed expansion of the Shoalhaven Hydro project by Origin Energy.

I am sure that many if not all of the residents of Kangaroo Valley are completely behind the move to renewable energy. As someone who lost my home in those awful bushfires three years ago and dealt with the drought that preceded it and the floods that followed, climate change is deeply personal and very real for my partner and I.

The idea that the NSW Planning Minister alone can decide whether this project should or should not proceed is deeply distressing. Should the project proceed, Kangaroo Valley will be changed forever. No longer the beautiful little escape for the tourists who visit nor the idyllic lifestyle for those of us that have chosen to make this place home. The local amenity will be destroyed, businesses will fail, families will be torn apart.

I have reviewed the Environmental Impact report authored by Origin Energy and I am very concerned by it. I also know it contains untruths, particularly in relation to the suggestion that the Kangaroo Valley community environment group has no objections. That is not true.

The idea that this project could be a 24/7 operation for five to seven years with continuous drilling, blasting and traffic impact is horrendous not to mention the loss of amenity, loss of flora and fauna and the impact on water quality.

People’s mental health has been stretched to near breaking point. Many of us have had three years of torture, dealing with insurance companies, architects, local Council, local contractors, Covid delays and financial stress. After a long and painful journey to rebuild our homes and rebuild our lives, the community is only now just starting to feel like our old selves. We can see a future in our beautiful Valley. Our mental health is repairing.

But this will break us.

As one of the requirements of our new build we had to install a 15KV solar farm and I feel really good knowing that my home has a smaller environmental foot print than the one I lost. It was the right thing for me to do. And it is the right thing for power companies to bring more renewable energy online. But not at the expense of the surrounding environment, amenity and life-style of the community in which these projects sit.

This project is at best, a 'green-washing’ exercise. Origin can’t ignore the massive environmental disaster they will cause so they can later claim to be making progress by increasing their hydro power output. They just can’t. Please do everything you can to raise the concern of the local community.

The NSW Planning Minister needs to meet the people whose lives will be torn apart by this project and hear our concerns.

My objections to the project are as follows:
1. I object to the inadequate, incomplete, outdated and misleading content, data, assessments and reference points in the Environmental Impact Statement and the corresponding bias it contains.
2. I object to the project being carried out 24 hours per day, 7 days per week for 5 years and the corresponding unacceptable levels of noise, air pollution, blasting and vibrations to be generated by the project.
3. I object to the damage and destruction to natural habitat and wildlife to be caused by the project by the clearing of land, and dumping of 420,000 cubic metres of spoil. Also by the significant increase in heavy vehicles that will work continuously on roads frequently crossed by native wildlife.
4. I object to the loss of native flora and fauna (including endangered and protected species) caused by the project.
5. I object to the volume and large-scale movement of heavy vehicles, trucks and oversize over mass vehicles during the life of the project, the damage they are likely to cause to our local roads and the potential for access in and out of Kangaroo Valley to be impeded. I also object to the increased danger of motor vehicle accidents on the one single road in and out of the town.
6. I object to the significant taxpayer support provided to Origin to complete this project.
7. I object to the destruction and negative impact upon significant aboriginal artifacts and cultural heritage sites.
I believe that pumped hydro is part of the solution as we transition to a green energy future, however I feel that placing this infrastructure inside a national park where protected species reside is irresponsible. Kangaroo Valley also does not have adequate infrastructure (roads and bridges, in particular) to accommodate the scale of this project.

I OBJECT to the extensive environmental destruction & ruination of our precious ecological habitat & treasured landscape in this vulnerable area - that this 235 MW underground power station, tunnels, underground & overground water pipelines, surge tanks, intake & outlet structures & ancillary infrastructure between Fitzroy Falls Reservoir & Lake Yarrunga will carelessly, stupidly & unnecessarily cause to enable Matt Kean’s FUDGED, DIABOLICAL, FAKE GREEN, ENERGY DEPRIVATION ELECTRICITY INFRASTRUCTURE ROADMAP DISASTER THAT HE IS INFLICTING ON THE PEOPLE OF NSW/AUSTRALIA - AGAINST THE WILL OF THE ILLAWARRA COMMUNITY & ALL ETHICAL, INTELLIGENT AUSTRALIANS WHO ARE FULLY AWARE OF THE DISINGENUOUS GRIFT & PONZI SCHEME THAT IT IS - WITH NO BENEFITS WHATSOEVER FOR AUSTRALIA OR THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT.

This is yet another scandalous, inefficient, massively costly, Snowy2 like failure to pretend to firm up imaginary power from Fake Green, unreliable, weather dependent Solar/Wind Electricity Generating Works - which is completely ludicrous & has absolutely no hope of ever being reliable, efficient, clean, green, cheap, sustainable energy in any way & will NEVER EVER BE BASE-LOAD POWER!!

Shoalhaven Hydro will be yet another total waste of tax payers funds & of no benefit to energy consumers — effectively supporting unconscionable Solar/Wind energy deprivation, scandalous energy prices - causing cost of living crisis - as part of the disingenuous, fake green gravy train, nightmare planned, reprehensible rip-off of all Australian people now & future generations - robbing them of their treasured environmental heritage.

I object to this totally illogical, lunacy plan that will do nothing useful or beneficial but ensure immense suffering, despair, blackouts & potential death.

Nobody in their right mind would be planning such a stupid & irresponsible, unhealthy, self sabotaging, unethical, insecure plan which has no scientific determination & no integrity whatsoever - such as Matt Kean’s diabolical NSW Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap - which my family & I DO NOT CONSENT TO AT ALL.

I strongly oppose this development. This is a drinking water catchment which i have assisted in protecting in for 35 years . Pumped Hydro can be a good thing but not in this location!
The dual use of the water and hydro production will not be compatible in the near future. This catchment , Lake Yarrunga, can supply water to Sydney, Wollongong, Southern Highlands, Goulburn , Nowra and Kangaroo Valley as required. The massive expansion of the housing and support industry over all of these areas will translate to no water being available for Hydro. It has happened before.
In five years (proposed construction duration)? this project will be another white elephant. It will be surpassed by present and developing technology and the money would be better spent on advanced battery systems. The decimation of the Kangaroo Valley roads, business and tourism operators is not substantiated and the high risk of water contamination is unacceptable.
I am sure you realize that Origin Energy is for sale and this proposal would be a feather in their cap to enhance the value of the company. They have no intention of building this project.
Keith Learn

I strongly object to this proposal for a number of reasons. I am a resident of the Shoalhaven community and live on the far eastern end of Kangaroo Valley, and have so for the last 35 years or so. On first consideration, I thought the project had merit- offering a green approach to the expansion of the Bendeela Power station. With further investigation and a better understanding of the EIS submitted by Origin Energy, I now believe it to be severely flawed and inappropriate for our area and community. The project as put forward, poses significant risks to our communities amenity, safety and future. The proposal does not take into account the significant impact it will have on the roads and infrastructure in the Valley. This area has already been hardly hit by the 2019/20 bushfires and floods in 2021/22, and our roads are falling apart and were never built for heavy loads, and as this proposal requires large vehicles and frequent movements in order to carry out the works, this is of grave concern. The merits of the project, in terms of the actual green energy it will supply is questionable, as it will need fossil based fuels to drive the water in order to create the pumped hydro effect. It poses significant threats to our local flora and fauna, again already significantly depleted by the bushfires, and if this project goes ahead , it will destroy the remaining forests that the local wildlife are needing to regenerate
from the disasters of 2019 and 2020. Kangaroo Valley is a small community and the impost this project poses on our local environment, community safety and local businesses is significant. It appears to me this project is ill conceived, poorly designed and not in keeping with the area. It may claim to be green, but it offers no genuine green energy outcomes. I also understand the project will be significantly subsidized by government incentives and am questioning the value of attributing what will be significant public funds to a corporation that to date has shown so little regard to the local community, is not really proposing a genuine green energy project. I would hope that the state government can provide greater scrutiny of the projects that it may support. The EIS is lacking in many areas, and the mitigation strategies it proposes are poorly thought through and who will then regulate and monitor these , should the project get the green light.
I urge the state government to say no to this one and to listen to the voices of the local community

Please refer to the attached submission.

I am concerned that the proposed project will have a negative impact on the local roads, the wildlife, and the nearby residents out of proportion to the likely gains.

See attached.

I totally object to this project for many reasons.
1. The project will operate 24/7 for 5 years and as I live very close to Moss Vale road the noise will have a very detrimental effect on my mental and health wellbeing. I have lived here for over 42 years and value the peace and serenity that Kangaroo has given me. To have this taken away without consultation is distressing and unforgivable.
2. No consideration to meet with Kangaroo Valley residents and hear how this project will impact their lives.
3. The impact on our local roads will be horrendous. We are only just managing to be able to drive on them from huge downfalls of rain last year. Roadworks have not even commenced yet on many parts of our roads particularly Moss Vale Road over Cambewarra mountain. Climate change and the amount of rain that can fall in Kangaroo Valley along with the extra traffic is a great concern.
4. Wildlife will also be at great risk from the massively increased traffic and blasting.
5. Nearly 30 hectares of bush (older than 50 years) will be cleared which is home to many endangered species.
5. Takes over 2350kW hours (approx) of energy to generate 1880kW hours (approx) of energy.
6. Water drawn and released directly back into Lake Yurranga /Kangaroo River will disturb river ecology.
7. Origin will blast not drill. Blasting may destabilise known faults in the escarpment.

See attachment for submission

It’s going have a very big environmental impact due to spoil being dumped on bush land. The noise and vibration from the subterranean excavation will destroy the tranquility and disrupt both domestic animals and wildlife.
The project appears to have minimal electricity production for the excessive cost and environmental impact.

I OBJECT to the project, Shoalhaven Hydro Expansion Project - Main Works Submission (SUB-54857475). The grounds in support of my objections are as follows:
1. I object to the inadequate community engagement and consultation regarding the Project.
2. I object to the inadequate, incomplete, outdated and misleading content, data, assessments and reference points in the Environmental Impact Statement and the corresponding bias it contains.
3. I object to the Project being carried out 24 hours a day 7 days a week for at least 5 years and the corresponding unacceptable levels of noise, air pollution, blasting and vibrations to be generated by the Project.
4. I object to the damage and destruction to natural habitat and wildlife to be caused by the Project from the dumping of an estimated 420,000 cubic metres of (acid-leaching) spoil.
5. I object to the loss of native flora and fauna (including endangered and protected species) caused by the Project.
6. I object to the volume and large-scale movement of heavy vehicles, trucks and oversize over mass vehicles during the life of the Project and the closing of access to Kangaroo Valley.
7. I object to the damage to roads, road infrastructure and Hampden Bridge that is highly likely to be caused by the Project.
8. I object to the loss of amenity to Kangaroo Valley that will be caused by the Project.
9. I object to the irretrievable loss and damage that businesses operating near and around the Project and in Kangaroo Valley will suffer.
10. I object to the greenwashing nature of the Project and how it is presented, requiring significant taxpayer support to be economically viable (to the commercial benefit of Origin) when other cheaper, more sustainable less damaging options are available.