A massive solar farm could transform this NSW community but residents fear they could have no way out in a bushfire

Résumé détaillé

The NSW community is still dealing with the impact of a 2017 bushfire which destroyed homes and wiped out livestock.

They have already lived through one devastating bushfire; now residents of a NSW town fear a proposed solar farm could put them at even greater risk in another blaze.

The proposed Magpie Hill Solar Farm and battery energy storage facility has sparked concern among Mount Fairy locals who fear the project could leave them unable to escape if a bushfire were to spark a solar farm fire, or vice-versa.

The community is still dealing with the impact of the 2017 Currandooley bushfire, which destroyed homes and sheds, wiped out hundreds of head of livestock, and left some residents with the gruesome task of having to put down injured animals.

Many of those who lived through it are still dealing with the emotional toll of watching their livelihoods destroyed.

Now residents are questioning whether enough safety measures will be in place to protect them should the solar farm, proposed by national green energy developer Mint Renewables, get the go ahead.

The Magpie Hill Solar Farm proposed for the Mount Fairy area in the NSW Southern Tablelands is currently progressing through the environmental assessment process as a State Significant Development.

The project has not yet been approved, with an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) currently being prepared to assess its potential impacts, including bushfire and other safety risks.

Mint Renewables’ project information describes a solar farm with a capacity of up to 375 megawatts, supported by a battery energy storage system of up to 3000 megawatt hours.

It has also outlined a decentralised battery layout intended to limit the number of units clustered together and reduce the potential for fire to spread between them.

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