URGENT!

THE PROPOSED 10,000+ SOLAR PANEL FARM AT 873 WALLACES GAP ROAD, 

BALLALABA 2622 – DA.2026-0113

FACTS YOU MAY NOT BE AWARE OF 

Will this solar farm supply the district with clean, renewable energy all the time?

NO. 95% + of the time the output from the solar farm will feed into the grid which is 60% coal/gas generated. It is only when the grid fails that this back-up will supply residents with clean solar energy. That’s less than 2% of the time.

Will this solar farm be community owned or controlled?

NO. The solar farm will be owned and operated by EDPR Pty Ltd, a for-profit overseas group. If approved, the community will have no say - or equity - in this plant. This is not an Australian  (let alone community) owned project.

Is the solar farm fire safe?

NO. The proposed solar farm is in a high-fire-danger area bordering on (and surrounded by) heavily timbered State forests (Tallaganda, Berlang State Conservation Area and Deua). Any bush or plant triggered fire could rapidly spread to Major’s Creek. RFS services are remote. The amount of water carried on the solar site is pitifully small. Local water sources for firefighters are very limited. If a fire starts the chances are it will spread before it can be controlled.

Has the environment been given due consideration in the DA?

WE BELIEVE NO. The proposed solar farm is to be plonked in the middle of RU1 farmland, farmland flanked by three state forests at the head of the Shoalhaven River (the water source for Braidwood). It is a beautiful landscape unmarred by a shiny power plant. Many farmers have worked with government Instrumentalities to protect biodiversity, plant trees, stop erosion, protect native pastures and wildlife (especially birds ranging from the Wedge Tail Eagle to the Scarlet Robin). The EDPR/BCE’s DA fails to acknowledge any of this.

Have the property owners affected by the proposed solar farm been consulted?

NO. Prior to the submission of its DA, EDPR/BCE did not contact, discuss or seek comments from locals.

Their DA COMPLETELY ignores the interests of the farm’s 13+ neighbours. It offers nothing but a totally inadequate three-metre-high shrubbery ‘screening’ fence. Issues such as depressed land values, water pollution risks and environmental impacts have not been addressed.

Who will pay for the site’s remediation once the solar farm passes its use by date?

WE DON’T KNOW. Remediation of a solar farm back to farmland costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. EDPR has produced no legally binding contract to undertake such work. Until it does the risk is we’ll end up with a dangerous tip as a legacy.

Has the community been adequately informed and consulted about the pros and cons of this proposal?

WE BELIEVE NOT. The DA was submitted several days BEFORE BCE/EDPR held their presentations in Braidwood on  Thursday March 19. Two sessions were held that day, one at 5pm the other at 7pm. BCE reports that about 50 to 60 people, in total, attended. That’s not much community consultation. Furthermore, QPRC didn’t put the DA on display until a week or so later and, initially, allowed less than three weeks for submissions. That’s a very rushed timetable for a project as important as this.

Will QPRC be able to allow industrial use of rural and rural residential land as is proposed by this project?

YES. Most of the land in the region of the proposed project site is currently zoned RU1 Primary Production. The project is numbered 1A, so there could be more similar projects approved next door to you or your neighbours.

Who is the Sane Solar Power Group?

We are a community group similar to BCE. We are not against solar farms. Our goal is to ensure the district gets the right sort of solar farm in the right place; to make sure the benefits are maximised and the damage and  risks minimised – and that everyone is treated fairly. We are a not-for-profit group.

Our belief is it is best to get things right at the start rather than patch up mistakes later.

WHAT WOULD WE LIKE YOU TO DO?

• Please talk about this solar farm proposal with your family, friends and neighbours - and form an opinion as to where you stand. 

• Lodge an objection to the DA on the council website DA.2026.0113

• Sign this petition at change.org to show your support

• If you would like further information - or want to join us - you can contact us by email at info@sunpots.com.au or celia@thefairtraders.com.au

If we don’t speak up our silence will be taken as consent and we’ll get what the developer wants, not what our community needs.