Shoalhaven Pumped Hydro Expansion Project - Main Works

My issues are:
Origin Energy's Environmental Impact Statment lodged with NSW planning is inaccurate and misleading.
Project will operate 24 hours a day 7 days a week for at least 5 years and there will be unacceptable levels of noise, air pollution, blasting and vibrations.
No benefit to local businesses as workers will be bused in daily.
Existing businesses who rely on a quiet environment for tourist and events and access to Bendeela camping area will lose business.
The spoil waste (includes some acidic rock) will be dumped near the Valley's water supply.
Takes over 2350kW hours (approx) of energy to generate 1880 kW hours (approx)
Nearly 30 hectares of bush ( all older than 50 years old) cleared, home to 8-10 endangered species.
Origin will blast not drill. Blasting may destabilise known faults in the escarpment.
Water drawn and released back directly into Lake Yarrunga/Kangaroo River disturbing river ecology .
The project will be run by fossil-fuel energy until the NSW grid is powered by renewable energy.
Pumped hydro always generates less energy than expended in the pump up.
Roadkill of fauna and increased risk to cyclists and local drivers will increase significantly .
Thank You

Although on the surface this project may seem like a good idea because it will provide energy from renewable sources, there are specific issues with the project that need to be considered, and if considered, make the project unviable.
The roads into the Valley cannot support the constant transport of heavy trucks and machinery. There are 3 major roads into the Valley. The Barrengary Mountain Road collapsed in the last major flood event and it took months for Roads to reopen that access to the Valley. The Cambewarra Mountain Road from Nowra into the Valley is still one lane after that flood and it still has a lot of repair work to be completed. And the road into the Valley from Berry is not rated to allow heavy vehicles. All 3 of these roads are very windy and steep. Having the large increase of large vehicles coming in and out of the Valley on very frequent intervals would be a nightmare. The Hampton Bridge is a one lane bridge that must be crossed coming in and out of the Valley from the Barrengarry side.
That historic bridge is certainly not capable of sustaining the level of transport of heavy vehicles that would be required by the project.
The Valley is heavily reliant on tourism. The tourists certainly will not come if this project proceeds. The Bendeela Campground which is very popular would no longer be useable.
There is no way that this project would not result in a major lost of wildlife. Kangaroos and wombats in particular would end up being frequent road kill. The area is still recovering from bush fire. There is a small area of habitat that wasn't burnt and the project would impact that area. Environmentally the project would be a disaster.
The impact to residents living near the project would be extreme. The EIS does not hide this fact. The community of Kangaroo Valley has been through so much in recent years with bushfires and floods. To add the devastation that would be caused by this project is cruel.

Pumped hydro is a great idea, and I understand that there are geographically few places in NSW that are suitable for it. But this project is deeply flawed, as feedback from other government departments indicate.
The road access to the Valley is simply inadequate for the construction process. One lane in each direction, many switchback corners, and proven fragility of road engineering. Moving the oversized items would be a fiasco, causing huge traffic delays even if it was possible. The heritage Bridge between the site and the Valley township is not certified for the loads described as coming from that direction. And even as described in the proposal, the traffic loads over five to seven years are huge, and a vast increase over the current norms. And there is good reason to think that the application understates the likely traffic loads.
There are significant ecological concerns , over and above the land clearing involved. Road kill in the neighborhood of the works, which even now is a concern, would inevitably increase hugely.
Fungal transmission between the two lakes is likely, and would be significant. And there are endangered species, both plant and animal, within the site. The proposal saying that something would be done to offset this, is supremely vague and implausible.
Noise levels, again over many years of construction, would be a major concern for the many people living in the area surrounding the property. There would be large amounts of blasting, and very frequent movements of large trucks and heavy machinery within the site. The submission minimizes this, but when you read it closely, it would be huge. This is in addition to the very large trucks flowing in and out of the site in large numbers.
Fundamentally, the proposal clearly trivialises the extreme transport difficulties (and their added expenses), minimises the ecological consequences, and hardly mentions how awful the construction process will be for its neighbours. Over more than half a decade. Tourism businesses dependent on the area will almost certainly go broke. And further, I believe it hugely underestimates the actual project costs.

As a resident of Jacks Corner Rd, Kangaroo Valley, I strongly object to the planned expansion of the Shoalhaven Hydro project. The negative impact on the pristine Tourist town of Kangaroo Valley is as large as is the scale of this project. The engineering works will take place in Morton National park on a steep incline, and the EIS goes nowhere near addressing impact from blasting, i.e. natural faults which may trigger slips and slides, causing road closures etc. The EIS is also massively flawed in many respects such as: the impact on the flora and fauna, the town’s drinking water supply, impacts on the air quality, impacts on the social aspects of Kangaroo Valley, the one road that goes through town and the Historic and Irreplaceable Hampton Bridge.

WaterNSW in its response, points to the impacts on drinking water destined for Sydney and Kangaroo Valley with the widely fluctuating dam levels and the acidic digging spoils placed so close to the Kangaroo River.

In January 2020, this exact area suffered catastrophic fire damage from the Currawan fire, and it's only now that Fauna and Flora are beginning to recover, let alone those who suffered damage and loss of property. Local surveys indicate that with current traffic flows, and the subsequent road kill, our wildlife is struggling to maintain their population and are decreasing such as the wombats. We can reasonably surmise that this proposed expansion will devastate our wildlife even more.

In March 2022, roads were so badly damaged in heavy rain, that Mossvale road, on Barrengarry Mountain, was closed for 8 months for major work and there are still more than 20 slips on access roads in Kangaroo Valley, only now being readied for repair.
NSW Transportation has many concerns about the project that will be difficult to meet.
The only Suspension bridge of its kind in Australia, Hampden Bridge, is not approved for the vehicle size required by this project. Hampden Bridge divides the town of Kangaroo Valley and is a major thoroughfare from the Coast to the Hume Hwy. If Hampden Bridge is damaged, the livelihood of our town would grind to a halt; this includes Dairy farmers, Tourism and ancillary businesses. The other access road from Barrengarry has had significant slips this past year and is still in a good state of repair. It has not been engineered to take such frequent heavy vehicle movements with the switchback providing trouble to all trucks and would probably be impassable to Over Size Over Mass vehicles. Who would fund the compensation payments?
The assessment of risks and impacts truly are inadequate. If we use the assumptions contained in the EIS just for vehicle movements, there are 40,000 truck movements, 13,700 bus movements and 41,000 light vehicle movements over the projected life of the project. The EIS then assumes this to be up to 100 heavy vehicle movements each day, up to 60 spoil truck movements, 16 bus movements and 20 light vehicle movements (likely an underestimation), and this is every day: 7 days a week. Yet the EIS states in its conclusion that, “…construction and operation of the project is expected to have a negligible impact on performance of key intersections…”. It further states that “The potential impacts to public transport, pedestrians and cyclists, road safety and parking … are also expected to be manageable. THIS IS MISLEADING. The roads will have to have massive upgrading to withstand the increased traffic which will result in delays and cost overruns which have not been factored into the estimates of time and costs.
This power plant requires more fossil fuel energy than the renewable energy it will generate, and the ultimate cost will be worn by the pristine Kangaroo Valley community. The residents of Kangaroo Valley are very supportive of the move to sensible renewable energy, where other environmental concerns are given equal weighting. This is no such project!
By its own admission, the project would be 5 years, of 24/7 Noise and Traffic, this is unacceptable in any built up area, and certainly not in Kangaroo Valley, a thriving tourism destination and gateway to the South Coast.

Please consider the huge negative impact this project will have on Kangaroo Valley, as I am sure there are many other options the NSW government can look at for creating new, renewable energy infrastructure. Options that would cause far less damage and disturbance in its building; be much more cost effective; and have the ability to produce significantly larger quantities of energy for NSW.
We should be building infrastructure that grows and develops and benefits the whole state, and doesn’t just benefit one company.

As a former resident and still frequent visitor to the Kangaroo Valley area, I strongly object to the planned expansion of the Shoalhaven Hydro project which is really a new power plant, not an extension. The negative impact on the environmentally, culturally historically and economically significant town of Kangaroo Valley is as large as is the scale of this project. The engineering works will take place in Morton National park on a steep incline, and the EIS goes nowhere near addressing impact from blasting, i.e. natural faults which may trigger slips and slides, causing road closures etc. The EIS is also massively flawed in many respects such as: the impact on the flora and fauna, the town’s drinking water supply, impacts on the air quality, impacts on the social aspects of Kangaroo Valley, the one road that goes through town and the historic and irreplaceable Hampton Bridge.

WaterNSW in its response, points to the impacts on drinking water destined for Sydney and Kangaroo Valley with the widely fluctuating dam levels and the acidic digging spoils placed so close to the Kangaroo River.

In January 2020, this exact area suffered catastrophic fire damage from the Currawan fire, and it's only now that the local fauna and flora are beginning to recover, let alone those who suffered damage and loss of property. Local surveys indicate that with current traffic flows, and the subsequent road kill, our wildlife is struggling to maintain their population and are decreasing such as the wombats. We can reasonably surmise that this proposed expansion will devastate our wildlife even more.

In March 2022, the roads were so badly damaged in heavy rain, that Moss Vale road, on Barrengarry Mountain, was closed for 8 months for major work and there are still more than 20 slips on access roads in Kangaroo Valley, only now being readied for repair.

NSW Transportation has many concerns about the project that will be difficult to meet.

The only suspension bridge of its kind in Australia, Hampden Bridge, is not approved for the vehicle size required by this project. Hampden Bridge divides the town of Kangaroo Valley and is a major thoroughfare from the coast to the Hume Hwy. If Hampden Bridge is damaged, the livelihood of the town would grind to a halt; this includes dairy farmers, tourism and ancillary businesses. The other access road from Barrengarry has had significant slips this past year and is still in a state of repair. It has not been engineered to take such frequent heavy vehicle movements with the switchback providing trouble to all trucks and would no doubt be impassable to OverSizeOverMass vehicles.

The assessment of risks and impacts truly are inadequate. If we use the assumptions contained in the EIS just for vehicle movements, there are 40,000 truck movements, 13,700 bus movements and 41,000 light vehicle movements over the projected life of the project. The EIS then assumes this to be up to 100 heavy vehicle movements each day, up to 60 spoil truck movements, 16 bus movements and 20 light vehicle movements (likely an underestimation), and this is every day: 7 days a week. Yet the EIS states in its conclusion that, “…construction and operation of the project is expected to have a negligible impact on performance of key intersections…”. It further states that “The potential impacts to public transport, pedestrians and cyclists, road safety and parking … are also expected to be manageable. THIS IS MISLEADING. The roads will have to have massive upgrading to withstand the increased traffic which will result in delays and cost overruns which have not been factored into the estimates of time and costs.

With air quality issues, again, the EIS has used modelling and provides no evidence to back up their conclusion that “Construction dust emissions are not expected to cause adverse air quality impacts”. How could they make this conclusion? There will be a very large amount of particulate matter forced into the atmosphere from the range of extensive disturbance during construction. Kangaroo Valley, and along Jacks Corner Road and Bendeela Road often are impacted by strong winds from the west or the east. Particulate matter will be pushed kilometres in both directions and will cause a wide range of risks. Respiratory issues and pollution of drinking water are major concerns. All dwellings surrounding the project site use tank water that is captured from rooftops and will be impacted so it is not just the people on town water that will be impacted.

This power plant requires more fossil fuel energy than the renewable energy it will generate, and the ultimate cost will be worn by the Kangaroo Valley community. Residents of the Shoalhaven are very supportive of the move to sensible renewable energy, where other environmental concerns are given equal weighting. This is no such project!

Please consider the many informed objections to this project and do not waste taxpayer’s money on this project which would ruin Kangaroo Valley and provide very little in return for all of its impacts.

Further objections are contained in the attached.

Further objections are contained in the attachment

This project will cause significant environmental damage - the cost of which cannot be countered by the project's outcome. This project will involve eliminating habitats, which actions cannot be recalled or offset in any way.

I have been trying to attach my submission document for the last half hour and the portal keeps telling me it has to be 59. I have cut it and converted it to PDF but it keeps telling me it must be 59, which is a nonsense that I am unable to achieve. I am investigating other ways to send this submission but am appalled by this technological lack of access.

The submission includes some maps which I am unable to cut and paste into this little box. So I want to have a record that I am trying to lodge this submission in time but am unable to dso so due to the portal problem of "59"

Once again, this project shows the disconnection between state governance and local council. For no one connected to Kangaroo Valley and it's pristine Nature reserves would approve a high impact project like the Shoalhaven Hydro Expansion.

INTENSE ROADS EROSION
Let's start with our roads: 5-7 years of heavy trucks carrying rocks and equipment will destroy our already sorry state roads that have been eroded by floods and rains. Shoalhaven council is having trouble fixing potholes at the best of times. Furthermore, our roads are single lane both ways, with a single file heritage listed suspension bridge that may well collapse under the load.

Looking at the attached Transport for NSW Environmental Impact Assessment, it looks like they did not even take the time to actually drive out there to survey both the intimate layout and state of our roads: Mrs Anna Paul 'has reviewed the information and is unable to properly assess possible impacts of the proposed development on the State road network and its users and therefore are unable to provide support at this stage'. Surely a Transport of NSW Impact Assessment is imperative for a project of thus epic proportions.

MASSIVE NOISE POLLUTION
How do you built tunnels again? Ah yeah, that's right, you blow up the mountain. So this is going to be loud, really freaking loud. Anyone familiar with Kangaroo Valley's unique escarpment surrounds knows this place is practically an echo chamber: BOOM! There goes local tourism business. BOOM! There goes the wedding business. BOOM! There goes the wildlife, the natural quiet we all came to the valley for, the bird song, the peaceful living for all of us. For 5-7 years!

LOCAL BUSINESS DECLINE
Apart from the local pie shop who'll get rich on truckie's morning tea and probably the pub, because, you know, beer, every business will dwindle. Pretty much all local stores rely on visiting tourists, and who wants to holiday on a building site? The site may be away from the main strip, but the trucks, the noise, the roads, the harrowed locals will all scream 'BUILDING SITE'. After the fires, Covid, and the floods, this really is the last thing the Kangaroo Valley community needs.

WILDLIFE
The endangered rock wallaby lives around that area. Surely that means something.

Please reconsider.

Thanks
Johanna

This project will put too much heavy vehicle traffic on the road that I live on.

As a nearby resident of the project, I am concerned about it’s detrimental effect, during construction, on not only our road, but the entire Valley.
The infrastructure in and out of the Valley is definitely not set up for the constant traffic of trucks etc.
Landslides and rockfalls are always an issue and the single lane over the top of Cambewarra already causes congestion and frustration.
The blasting could cause serious damage to our escarpment and property and possibly people!
Kangaroo Valley is recognised far and wide as an area of incredible beauty, and a haven of peace and refreshment for thousands of tourists each year.
We locals love this place and respect its beauty and the unique nature surrounding it and also work together to keep the community thriving in its environment.
Our lovely wildlife will be distressed also!
Please consider our submissions and I really hope a better plan can emerge.

My concern for the project is that the roads that will need to be used, cannot support the heavy vehicles. We have experienced damage to these local roads recently, and they cannot endure the loads expected.
The ongoing heavy traffic and prolonged noise, will affect the residents and the relaxed nature of the whole area, deterring visitors and ruining the atmosphere that represents this area.

I believe the EIS has not been thoroughly vetted and the project is therefore unsound. The mitigation strategies provided in the EIS are absolutely inadequate for the project to proceed and the negative impact to local community, irreplaceable natural resources and local business is enormous. The risk associated with this project makes it totally unreasonable and lines such as "A strategy to meet the offset obligation will be developed post-approval and consider a range of options, including direct payment into the Biodiversity Conservation Trust Fund and seeking like-for like credits from the offset market" attest to the broad nature of how inadequately researched and unreasonable the project has become.
Independent environmental consultants and geologists based in the Shoalhaven and Illawarra area have viewed this project and laughed at the poor quality of the EIS.
This project should not proceed at the scale being currently proposed, and certainly should not be approved.

This project will put extreme pressure on an already unstable road system. Single lanes go in and out of this deep valley. The risks of having so many large vehicles does not add up. The small number of large vehicles that now travel through this narrow steep journey already place congestion. The damage to road,and inconvenience for locals and tourists will be shocking.
The Kangaroo Valley is valued for its pristine nature.People travel here for this reason. Is it worth seven years of disruption to risk this reputation.
This is a government PR disaster in the making.
Kindly Christo Everingham

I object to the hydro expansion in Kangaroo valley. I think there was not enough research done on the effects to our pristine environment, the effect on our wildlife and road kill, the effects on our already deteriating roads, the historic Hampden bridge and tourism industry which relies on nature loves, people seeking quiet spaces....I also think its a waste of time and money with very little benefit. I think the amount of trucks will destroy our village life and deter people from visiting.

Whilst the aim of the project is laudable the impact of its location and proposed works does not warrant the relatively marginal positive environmental impact of the completed project. Kangaroo Valley is a very fragile environment with limited reliable infrastructure. The recent catastrophic floods with consequential landslides closing the major arterial road through the valley demonstrate how fragile this is. Prior to that the major bushfires of 2019/2020 were also catastrophic.

The impact these events had ( and are still having ) on the community of Kangaroo Valley was severe. The additional stress placed on the community and the environment when it is highly likely these events will be repeated has not been adequately recognised in the EIS.

It is also misleading to refer to the regrowth area as if it is some area not worth preserving . It is 50 years old and particularly post the fires provides very valuable habitat for native fauna and flora. This critical element has not been recognised.

We run a commercial Farm in the Valley, with a Farm Stay business attached, as well as having 2 children at the public primary school.
Our guests come to stay for the peace and quiet and to spend time in a tranquil environment plentiful with wildlife and flora.
The idea of sending 200,000 truck movements through an environment that is only recovering from multiple natural disasters, with roads that could not withstand normal traffic under recent rains events, seems at best poorly considered and at worst blatantly dangerous.
This traffic will damage roads, endanger lives (human and wildlife), and create an environment for tourists which will destroy the very tranquility they visit the valley for.
With my wife and three children (another 1yr old yet to attend school), their daily visits in to the Kangaroo Valley Village will have a significant increase in risk as they cross the roads multiple times between school drop off and pick-up for daily shopping.
During the construction phase our children will also start catching the bus to Oxley in Burradoo for High School, and be exposed to the risks of heavy vehicle traffic on Barrengary mountain, a road that has only recently been repaired for multiple landslides.
For the sake of the wildlife, community, businesses in the valley exisiting infrastructure, this proposal would have to meet all requirements to the highest standard, and based on the many concerns raised by government agencies, I cannot see how this is possible and as such oppose this proposal for all reasons stated.

I strongly object to the project on so many levels but my major concern is the unsuitability of Kangaroo Valley for a project of this size. Kangaroo Valley is an area where the pristine beauty and serenity is a haven for both the community at large and a great number of endangered species of native wildlife and fauna.
The impact that these proposed works would cause to the unique ecosystems would be irreparable.
On a human level, the number of large vehicle movements projected, and the noise level and pollution from this and associated works would certainly present safety issues and possible mental health issues for the Kangaroo Valley Community.
It is an area that is barely recovering from the Currowan fires of 2020 and these proposed works would hinder any hope of complete recovery by both humans and wildlife near impossible.
Please relocate this project to another area where the impact would be far less damaging. It has to be.

I object to the expansion of the Bendeela Power plant. See my attachment for further details why this project should not go ahead.