THE NSW Government is yet to arrive at a decision to either approve or reject an application by Yancoal to convert its Stratford coal mine into a renewable energy hub.
No firm date has been given as to when a final decision will be made.
If approved, the project will require the construction of 660,000 solar panels and a new dam in the adjacent hills.
The idea is that water will be pumped from existing voids to the upper dam using solar generated electricity and when electricity is needed for the grid, water will be released from the top dam to flow down the tunnel to the lower dam past an electricity generating turbine.
Yancoal says the project could create up to 350 full-time jobs over the four-year construction period and approximately 10 full-time jobs once operational.
The Planning Department gave the community a firm and fixed period until 29 October 2024 to send in submissions about the proposal, and by that date 96 submissions had been received, of which 17 supported the project and 76 opposed it.
On 30 October the Department wrote to the proponent asking that Yancoal provide a response to the issues raised in the community submissions by 31 January 2025, but it took Yancoal until early May 2025 to comply with that request.
It seems that Yancoal’s response failed to satisfy the government, and it has now been asked to provide yet more information.
“Yancoal has prepared and lodged a Response to Submissions report following the exhibition of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and public submissions,” said a company spokesperson.
“The NSW Government has since requested additional information, which Yancoal is in the process of finalising.
“Once this material is submitted, the Project will progress to the next stage of assessment.”
However, no details have been given about when Yancoal will be providing that additional information.
“The Proponent is currently preparing a response to the Department’s Request for Information including addressing residual questions from Government agencies,” said a spokesperson for The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure.
“The Department is assessing the merits of the proposal and expects to finalise the assessment later this year.”
By:John WATTS
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