Locals left feeling short changed with inadequate consultation

It comes as state and federal governments scramble to establish better consultation frameworks to manage the increase in renewable energy projects and associated impacts on nearby communities.

Cassilis recorded a population of 278 in the 2021 census, including the outlying area.

It falls within the Central West Orana renewable energy zone (REZ), where EnergyCo proposes to develop new transmission lines between Wollar and substations at Merotherie and Elong Elong.

There are 11 major renewable generation projects with planned connections to EnergyCo's transmission network.

Cassilis District Development Group chair Jane Hegarty said the immediate concern was EnergyCo's proposal to develop a workers camp of 600 people about 12 kilometres from town along Ulan Road.

EnergyCo's environmental impact statement (EIS) lacked specifics about managing the population increase, such as whether additional personnel or equipment would be supplied during bushfire season, Ms Hegarty said.

A lack of meaningful consultation meant many in the village were unaware of the proposal.

"My biggest concern probably is for our residents who regularly drive the Golden Highway, because there's no mention of any remediation works or mitigation measures for the extra traffic and heavy vehicles," she said.

"There's just no indication in the EIS that that will be improved overall, and actually travelling on that highway will get a lot worse."

Local residents relied on the highway to access bigger centres for health, work and education, she said.

"The Central West Orana REZ will result in the massive increase in population that will need to access medical services, will need to call on things like ambulances when there's a road accident," she said.

The EIS proposes construction vehicles use the main road into Cassilis and travel up Ancrum Street past the school.

It estimated peak traffic during construction at one vehicle every two minutes or 32 vehicles per hour, with 12 light vehicles and 20 heavy vehicles.

Resident, Shelley Piper, said there were safety concerns with the route.

The front of Cassilis Public School has no footpaths or crosswalks and the bridge on Cassilis Road, which separates the village from the sports ground, has no pedestrian access.

Ms Piper said although the projects would bring workers into the area, benefits for local businesses were not guaranteed.

"They say there'll be benefits for your local community but they've got everything in house," she said.

"We only have a couple of businesses in town. It's a good statement to make, but realistically only a couple of people might benefit."

Ms Piper and Ms Hegarty concurred the community's concerns were not being addressed, but also that there was no larger body to advocate on its behalf.

Ms Hegarty said renewable energy was such a new industry that it was hard to fully predict potential impacts.

More broadly, there needed to be better recognition of the cumulative impacts of renewable energy zones, which was an example of urban Australia further encroaching on rural areas, she said.

There were numerous projects proposed in other parts of the state and she was concerned they were only being assessed in isolation - not collectively.

"Yes, we need to reduce our emissions. People understand we need to look at alternatives for our energy sources - most people are on board with that," she said.

"But we need to do it in a realistic manner and we need to think about it so it's equitable for all citizens."

EnergyCo held pop-up sessions in Cassilis once the EIS was released, but not while the document was being developed. The 1034-page EIS and 18 related technical papers were open for feedback online for six weeks. EnergyCo will now develop a report responding to the submissions, to be released in 2024.

In a statement, an EnergyCo spokesperson said the company engaged with the community for more than a year, completing about 5100 community and stakeholder interactions, and 650 meetings with landowners, communities, local organisations and stakeholder groups.

It said there had been more than 60 sessions and pop-up events in towns, including Cassilis, and about 120 meetings with local councils, including eight with the Upper Hunter Shire Council.

The impact assessment conducted for the EIS found the workers camp traffic was unlikely to impact congestion or safety, it said.

It proposed using buses to transport the majority of workers to and from construction sites and was investigating upgrading the intersections of Ulan Road with Neeleys Lane and the Golden Highway.

It had also entered a memorandum of understanding with Transport NSW to facilitate the roll-out of the REZ. This included delivering "upgrades and traffic control measures for the Golden Highway, and will be consulting on these activities early next year."

Bushfire risks were assessed in detail, it said, and the Rural Fire Service did not raise any issues. It would ensure the network operator constructing and operating the transmission project had onsite fire-fighting equipment and contribute to resourcing of local crews.

EnergyCo also said it was working with local councils, state government agencies, and developers of renewable energy projects to address impacts on infrastructure and services in the region.

Another developer, Tilt Renewables, also proposed a workers camp. It said feedback was under review but based on consultation it would not proceed with the Cassilis location and instead pursue a Coolah site.