By signing this petition, I confirm that I am opposed to the Shoalhaven Pumped Hydro Power Station Expansion (SSI-10033) on the grounds that it is wholly unsuitable and incompatible for Kangaroo Valley and it will have profoundly damaging consequences for the community, for the environment, for endangered and protected species, for wildlife, for the waterways, water supplies, businesses (and their viability), roads, roads systems, lives, livelihoods and the health and well-being of the community.  I am also opposed to the Project being subsidised and supported by Government (in order to make it commercially viable for Origin Energy to proceed with it), particularly in circumstances where it will have such profound and damaging consequences and when there are many other materially more suitable options.

Three huge new tunnels, running under houses, businesses and disturbing wildlife, flora and other fauna - penetrating the fragile escarpment.   Thousands of large heavy vehicles day and night - up and down the Valley, through its only street.  Water levels dramatically modified - risking biodiversity, ecology and aquatic environment.  Huge amounts of debris to be dumped killing protected and endangered species. Above and underground blasting - concrete batching - up to 370 workers bussed in and out three times a day and night.  Unheard of noise levels, constant dust and vibrations.  Roads destroyed, access to the Valley inhibited, the historic Hampden Bridge at risk.  All this 5 - 7 years, 24 hours a day seven days a week for a project that is not commercially viable without Government support.  Why is big business and the Government working together to devastate a community and one of the world's most beautiful Valleys?  All for a meagre 235 mw of additional power storage - that actually requires more energy to produce than it saves!!  Build better, build bigger, build smarter.  

Simply put - the damage and destruction to the environment, protected and endangered species, wildlife, businesses, the amenity of the Valley and to lives and livelihoods in pursuit of an economically unviable project, using old technology (that will be well and truly superseded by the time of its completion) does not make this a genuinely green nor sustainable project. Presenting it otherwise, arguably, represents greenwashing in its purest sense.

Sustainable, renewable and commercially and environmentally sensible projects are critical to our future.  This project is not one of them, despite Origin Energy and the NSW Government leading us to believe it is.

Help stop the project.

Specific concerns:

·        Misleading, inaccurate and incomplete detail: The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is extremely complex and full of technical jargon and detail - but overall, and cutting through this complexity, and while not intended, it is misleading as it uses and relies on materially out of date or incorrect data, it often fails to provide analysis or assessments by reference to “on the ground” and “context specific” facts or circumstances.  Consequently, it presents an incomplete, inaccurate and misleading picture in a number of instances, that is unsurprisingly often favourable to Origin and its proposal.  This is clear by reading the Objections and many of the Agency responses on the NSW Government’s Planning Portal.
·        Non-stop for up to 7 years (maybe more):  The project assumes a 5 year timetable but only if work can be conducted 7 days a week 24 hours a day.  So realistically the project will more likely run in excess of 7 yearsas no account is taken of changes to this schedule or to delays or the consequences of material weather events.  This is noted in the Agencies responses. Noise, pollution, damage, destruction continuously for 5 - 7+ years 24/ 7.
·        Traffic chaos, road damage and closures: Thousands of large, heavy, polluting and noisy trucks and vehicles will be required running down Cambewarra and Barrengarry mountains, clogging and damaging roads - including oversized and over mass (OSOM) vehicles that will require regular closures to access the Valley. Peak project modelling indicates a truck every minute during day time.  Relevantly, Transport for NSW notes: it may not even be possible for the OSOM to safely enter the Valley and even if it were possible there would be significant issues for the community and road infrastructure and systems (and therefore have insisted that a geotechnical and structural assessment be undertaken).  Grave concerns are also expressed about Hampden Bridge.
·        Vibrations across the Valley:  Construction will require above ground and underground blasting that will take place 24 hours a day 7 days a week and cause material noise, vibrations and disturbances across a major part of the project life – 5 (lets say 7+) years with over-size, over-mass deliveries noted as being able to occur at any time.
·        Dangerous debris:  420,000m3 of spoil (debris from tunnelling and excavation) containing harmful acidic content will be dumped near the site by clearing and destroying over 30 hectares of critically important vegetation – potentially risking ground and underground water systems, including giving rise to serious risk from contamination (NB: Despite this plan, WaterNSW has made it clear that it opposes the use of the land adjacent to Bendeela Pondage to haul and dump the spoil as this is also the water supply for the Valley.)  So where will this huge amount of spoil go?  If there is no option within the Valley then it will go out by hundreds and hundreds of trucks day and night rolling through the Valley and up Cambewarra and Barrengarry mountains.
·        Other noise, dust and pollution risks: A concrete batching plant will be utilised in the lower scheme laydown area (Bendeela). The EIS also indicates that processing of spoil may be required as part of construction. It is unclear what this processing would include (blending, crushing, screening) – and the consequences of this.
·        Many workers – but no genuine overall benefit to businesses or the community:  Up to 370 workers are required and will be bussed in and out several times daily to suit work shifts – passing though the Valley, not supporting or contributing to businesses but causing traffic chaos and noise pollution in and around the work sites 24/ 7 over 5 - 7+ years.
·        Negative water impacts:  The project will disturb sensitive terrestrial ecology, land uses, recreation, visual resources, and cultural resources in both Fitzroy Falls reservoir and Lake Yarrunga.
·        Business destroyed, amenity shattered, tourists depart:  Visitor numbers will drop, they will avoid the Valley in favour of peaceful, tranquil and picturesque options elsewhere – causing businesses to fail, livelihoods to be affected and subjecting people and families in the Valley to severe emotional stress and mental health problems.
·        Negative aquatic biodiversity impacts:  There will be operational impacts from increased changes in water level. Essentially a tidal zone will be created impacting on breeding cycles of aquatic species and macroinvertebrates. What impact will the Project operations have on fish, fish eggs and hence fish populations that are pumped up/pumped down the dams?  See the Agencies responses for more on this.
·        Endangered and protected species will die: The surveys reported in the EIS identify likely impacts on several threatened flora: Rhodamnia rubescens (Scrub Turpentine), Hibbertia puberula and Genoplesium baueri (Bauer’s Midge Orchid); and threatened fauna: Gang-gang Cockatoo, Greater Glider, Eastern Pygmy Possum,Southern Myotis, Large-eared Pied Bat, Giant Burrowing Frog, Littlejohn’s Tree Frog, Fitzroy Falls Spiny Crayfish. The EIS includes ambiguous references to “offset credits” to make up for the loss of these species.  The value and benefit of offsets are highly questionable and will provide no protection to the species actually lost and killed by the project, rendering the Valley worse off by irreparably damaging our unique environment.
·        Alarming wildlife impacts:  There are 2 main issues here
o      The destruction of habitat adjacent to areas destroyed by the 2020 Currowan fire. The burnt areas have still not recovered and research shows despite flora returning fauna have not returned making intact habitat fringes very valuable. The bush below Bendeela Pondage (planned to be destroyed again for dumping spoil) has been growing for 45 years – nearly an old growth forest.
o      Roadkill at Fitzroy Falls (Promised Land Trail to intersection with Moss Vale Road) and Bendeela Road is likely to be very high. Vehicle strikes already have a major impact on wildlife.  The EIS has no adequate measure to counter these deaths. Our Kangaroos, Wallabies, Wombats and Echidnas are precious.
·        The power generated at such a disproportionate cost:  The cost to the landscape, the community, the environment, businesses, lives and livelihoods drawing on a fossil fuel heavy grid to generate and store even less energy than is consumed which, alarmingly, is also only viable with Government subsidies, makes no sense at all when other greener, cheaper, more efficient options are available that can produce more energy, store more energy and create more jobs.  Note also that pumped hydro ALWAYS uses more energy than it generates. Battery technology trumps this 50 year old wasteful and outdated project.