Petition to The Hon. Paul SCULLY, MP, Minister for Planning and Public Spaces (NSW)

French multinational Engie wants to build a large solar farm beside Yass on agricultural land bordering Wee Jasper Road and surrounding the Transgrid Substation. (see map below).

The project area is 340 hectares (3.4 square kilometres, 840 acres or about 430 NRL football fields) and is located just two kilometres from the Yass Post Office. It will have 220,000 three metre high black solar panels. 

More than 2,000 Yass homes and businesses will be within a four kilometre radius of the project, with the nearest home being just 255 metres from the closest solar panel.

There will be a fence up to 3 metres high around the perimeter with security lighting that may cause light pollution at night.

The proposed route to the construction site will be along Yass Valley Way, Grand Junction Road and Perry Street. This will involve heavy vehicles using residential streets Monday-Friday from 7am to 6pm and on Saturdays from 8am to 1pm, for up to two years.

Perry Street will be the construction route for heavy trucks 6 days a week for around 18 months. This is a suburban street with established houses – noise, dust, roads damaged, dangerous for kids outside. This street currently has a 3 ton limit.

Being so close to Yass, this project would pose an immediate risk to Yass from bushfire and toxic smoke in what is already a fire prone area. 

There have been several fires at Australian solar farms in recent years    including Beryl at Gulgong, Finlay at Shepparton and three fires have occurred at Winton Solar Farm near Benalla since 2022 

Other risks to our environment are hazardous chemicals and gases from the Battery and Energy Storage System (BESS) which can explode. Chemicals used to clean the panels may also end up in the Yass River through creeks on site.

The expected operational life of the project is at least 30 years. That means it would affect the future development of Yass for decades to come. Land identified by Council for future housing on that side of Yass would have its rural views ruined – who would build a home near a large solar farm? Existing home owners in the vicinity could also see their property values affected.   

A number of concerned residents have formed the Yass Solar Action Group to oppose Engie’s solar farm plans. We are not against renewable energy, but believe this project is simply too close to our town.

Yass is not in a Renewable Energy Zone (REZ).

Including this proposal, there are already nine planned or operating renewable energy projects in this region.

If you object to Engie’s proposed solar farm at Yass, please email the Yass Solar Action Group at yasssolaractiongroup@gmail.com and Kylie will send you regular updates and respond to any questions you may have about the project. 

Then, when the time comes for people to register their objection to the project, we will send you a simple guide about how to make your submission and have your opinion count.

The need for renewable energy projects is accepted by many community members. What is not, is the need for these projects to be located right beside country towns, presumably to reduce costs for developers.

Most of Yass residents’ concerns with the ENGIE proposal relate directly to its proximity to the town.

For these reasons the Petitioners request that you say no to ENGIE's proposal.

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Email: Yasssolaractiongroup@gmail.com