Community members have sworn to continue fighting against new gas developments in the Hunter following the NSW Government’s approval of the Kurri Kurri gas-fired power station.
The application submitted by Snowy Hydro was approved on December 20 and will see a new 660-megawatt gas-fired power station built in Kurri Kurri on the site of the former Aluminium Smelter.
A spokesperson for the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment said the application was approved following rigorous assessment and consideration of community feedback.
“This project will improve energy reliability and security in the National Energy Market as it brings on renewable energy from wind and solar farms and transitions away from coal-fired power generation over the next 10-15 years,” the spokesperson said.
“The project will provide on-demand energy when the grid needs it and will only operate on average two per cent over a year.
“It will also inject $600 million into the State’s economy and create up to 250 new construction jobs in the Hunter, so on balance, it was decided that the project should be approved.”
Gas Free Hunter Alliance representative Fiona Lee said the approval showed a total disregard to the hundreds of locals who opposed the development.
“It looks like we know what we’re getting for Christmas. I am outraged that the Kurri Kurri gas plant has been approved,” Lee said
“Even the conservative International Energy Agency has said there can be no new gas projects if we are to reach net-zero goals and try to avoid the increasingly catastrophic effects of climate change.
“The local community deserves a clear plan from the Morrison Government to transition away from our dependency on fossil fuel employment, instead of lumping our community with this expensive out of date dinosaur that will only provide ten ongoing jobs at the cost of $600 million of public money.”
Lee said it was “particularly disturbing” that the project had received approval from the NSW State Government after committing to net zero emissions by 2050.
Climate Council’s Senior Researcher Tim Baxter said gas power stations had produced just 1.3 per cent of NSW’s power this spring, the lowest level seen over the past century.
“Approving Kurri Kurri is an all-round dismal move for Australians at a time when the rest of the world is reducing greenhouse gas emissions and cashing in on the clean job and economic opportunities of a net-zero future,” Baxter said.
A spokesperson for the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment said Snowy Hydro was required to prepare and implement a Net Zero Generation Plan to move towards net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.
“This may include using hydrogen gas, which would be subject to further planning assessment,” the spokesperson said.
“A number of conditions have been imposed on the project to ensure any potential impacts are appropriately managed, including annual limits on how long the power station can operate and requiring ongoing air quality monitoring.”
According to Snowy Hydro’s Environmental Impact Statement, the project is predicted to emit 14.8M tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere over its lifetime.
Gas Free Hunter Alliance volunteer and local to the Hunter region Lyn Benn said she “couldn’t see how the gas-fired power plant made sense from any angle”.
“I am an ex- TAFE teacher and grandmother who has lived near Kurri Kurri for 14 years. I’m worried about what this means for my grandkids’ futures,” Benn said.
“But I am most incensed at the waste of public money.
“If it makes sense, then let private enterprise build it. Then, for that amount of money, we could safeguard Kurri hospital, give our local bush fire brigades a much-needed boost or provide something for the local kids to do.
“Let’s look to the future, not the past.”
The project will now be submitted to the Commonwealth for final approval.
If approved, construction will begin early-2022, with the plant up and running in mid-2023.
Hayley McMahon