Epuron today submitted its response to the NSW Government's draft Wind Farm Planning Guidelines.

Epuron fully supports the focus on greater community consultation surrounding wind farms in NSW. To that end, Epuron is keen to continue its leadership in community engagement around its projects, and has released a revised Community Consultation Framework which reflects useful provisions of the Guidelines.

However, if implemented in their current form, the draft Guidelines would significantly reduce the opportunity for NSW to compete in the renewable energy market, putting $10 billion in regional jobs, infrastructure and investment at risk.

In its response to the Guidelines, Epuron highlights the following key issues:

1. The relevance and applicability of the Guidelines is unclear with respect to the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act (1979) and if implemented in their current form would lead to significant uncertainty in the development process.

2. The 2km “Gateway” process is flawed in principle and at law and as a result, contrary to its objectives, will increase uncertainty for communities and developers alike. This has the potential to delay the benefits for NSW of investment in wind energy.

3. The design of the Noise Guidelines is flawed and not based on science, and more appropriate science-based noise guidelines already exist in other jurisdictions.

4. Additional development costs will be incurred due to the significant additional workload imposed by the Guidelines, adding to the excessive and inconsistent planning fees already charged in NSW. These costs are ultimately paid by NSW energy consumers.

5. The Guidelines raise issues with no scientific validity such as low frequency noise and health impacts from wind farms, and accordingly, should not require assessment only consultation. The inclusion of these issues in the Guidelines only serves to increase concerns within communities.

Epuron is keen to continue working with the NSW Government to develop Guidelines which address these issues and in doing so unlock the benefits of additional renewable energy development for NSW.