It is probably not surprising that big battery projects have become the new target of anti-renewable campaigners, given the fact that they are now clearly the most investible part of the green energy transition, and an essential component of the future grid.
Some of the campaigns against individual projects have been wild and ideological, and based on myths and misunderstandings, which is why the NSW planning department has tightened up its planning rules to stop project applications being hijacked by organised groups of long distance objectors.
Indeed, battery storage projects are now exempt from the process that triggers an automatic referral to the Independent Planning Commission. But they still need to go through the planning department’s full process.
But there is genuine concern in some local communities about the potential impacts of these assets – what they look like and questions over noise and fire risk.
And this week, at the Australian Battery Asset Management conference in Sydney, battery storage developers were reminded that social licence was fundamental to their success, and local concerns should n0t be ignored. Some of the concerns can be easily addressed.
