Submissions were received from several government agencies and many members of the public during the public exhibition period of the project’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

Epuron’s response to submissions is now available on the NSW Government’s Major Projects Portal and includes two reports; a Submissions Report and an Amendment Report.

The Submissions Report responds to the issues raised such as noise, visual amenity, biodiversity impacts and concerns about Aboriginal cultural heritage and traffic.

A number of changes to the project have also been proposed in response to the issues raised to further mitigate and minimise environmental impacts. The revisions result in a net decrease in the area to be disturbed and an overall improvement in environmental and community outcomes. The changes are detailed in the Amendment Report and include:

• Removal of four wind turbines, reducing the layout from 60 to 56 wind turbines;
• Re-siting of three wind turbines, and minor adjustments to the siting of a number of other wind turbines;
• Removal and relocation of site access tracks, resulting in a net reduction of 15 km;
• A net reduction of 10 km in underground power reticulation;
• A net reduction of 14 km in overhead power reticulation; and
• Reduction of the overall footprint by approximately 98 hectares.

The reports are available on the project’s profile page in the NSW Government’s Major Projects Portal. The Department of Planning, Industry and Environment will now assess the proposal and refer its recommendation to the Independent Planning Commission for a decision.

For more information and a map of the revised site design download the full update: