The Macleay Valley community has had their say on the Oven Mountain Pumped Hydro Energy Storage project following the release of the long-awaited environmental impact statement (EIS).
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The off-river Oven Mountain Project, located on private land between Armidale and Kempsey, is intended to "provide clean energy generation and storage capabilities".
The project will include the construction of a new electricity transmission network from the generation site to the Lower Creek area and upgrades to existing local and regional roads.
The EIS was prepared to detail all of the potential environmental and social impacts of the project and the proposed approach to managing them. The EIS will be on exhibition at the NSW Government Planning Portal until Friday, October 20. A summary of the report's findings can be found on the company's website.
Alinta Energy chief development officer Ken Woolley said the company has recently taken over as owners and developers of the project and looks forward to responding to the EIS submissions.
"Engaging with the community to understand and respond to issues raised through the environmental impact statement process is a key focus for us," he said.
"The project team, and I will be regularly travelling to site in the coming months to meet with interested community groups and individuals."
Save Our Macleay River (SOMR) member Arthur Bain, who is also a Kempsey Shire Councillor, said the group provided a "very detailed" submission that addressed the areas that they felt had "significant causes for concern".
"The particular concerns were about soil erosion and the impact of the run-off into the Macleay River," Mr Bain said.
"There's some high levels of naturally occurring arsenic activity in the soils and there are concerns about the erosion control and contamination into the river.
"SOMR's primary responsibility is protecting the water quality in the Macleay, and a lot of soil will be disturbed in the construction phase of this project.
"There was a very detailed report in the EIS, but it didn't go so much into how that will be managed."
Mr Bain called for alternatives to be considered.
"Ideally, we would like that the project does not get approved, or to see that there would be much greater oversight and control if the project does go ahead," he said.
"We support the use of renewable energy and we understand the need to store it... [but] there are some very good alternatives to get this outcome."
Richard Campbell is a traditional owner, descendant, and custodian of the Thunghutti People whose tribal boundary takes in the Bellbrook Aboriginal community and lies within the Dunghutti nation.
He said his submission relates to areas the Thunghutti community "deem necessary for further discussion".
Part of his submission includes concerns about the hiring practice of the First Nations Engagement Officers within the company.
He said while it's a "positive step" towards Indigenous engagement, he believes the appointments have overlooked the importance of local representation.
"It is essential for OMPS to recognize the importance of Lore, cultural respect, and the rightful representation of the Thunghutti People," he said.
"I implore OMPS to revisit its hiring practices, prioritise Thunghutti representation, and respect the sacred principles that guide our cultural heritage."
Member for Oxley Michael Kemp said he supports the project going forward.
"The Oven Mountain Pumped Hydro Energy Storage is about changing the energy landscape in the Oxley Electorate by introducing new energy storage capabilities and a renewable network," he said.
"I welcome projects into our region that are socially and economically viable. Unlike its solar and wind counterparts, pumped hydro has a working lifetime of up to 100-years, and its working benefits will stabilise the grid.
"This creates cheaper electricity and eases the pressure on our residents who have felt the pinch in this cost-of-living crisis."
Mr Kemp said the project will provide a "welcome boost" to the workforce in the Macleay Valley.
"More than 500 jobs [will be] created during its five-year construction phase and [there will be] at least 90 permanent jobs once operational," he said.
"It will create new training and upskilling opportunities while injecting $112 million dollars into our local economy.
"I implore all stakeholders to remain engaged with the community throughout this process to allow this clean energy infrastructure to serve Oxley into the future."
Mr Woolley encouraged people who want to reach out to the project team, to email them at info@ompshydro.com or to call on 1800 518 194.
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