The Sundown solar and battery project in the New England region of New South Wales has landed a green light from the state’s final planning umpire, on condition it paves the road to prevent potential dust problems at a neighbour’s property.
The 350 megawatt solar and 150 MW, four hour battery project at Spring Mountain, inside the New England renewable energy zone (REZ), needed further approval after receiving 133, mostly very long distance, objections during the main planning process.
The Independent Planning Commission (IPC) took just two months to make a final decision.
It cancelled a public hearing after receiving just one registration to speak: a council representative who the IPC was already talking to. None of the 133 objectors bothered to show up. A further 19 submissions were received by the IPC, with roughly equal numbers of support and opposition, including from a neighbour concerned about dust.
The approval means developer Recurrent Energy, a subsidiary of Canadian Solar, now has to land a grid connection and close off the federal EPBC process, after the project was deemed a controlled action in 2022.
