Renewable Energy Demonstration Program 2009 Kyoto energypark Supplement to Environmental Assessment Responses to Public Submissions Submission prepared by: pamada August 2009 Responses to Public Submissions (August 2009) pamada Page 2 Pamada Pty Ltd Level 16, 18 College Street Hyde Park, Sydney NSW 2010 PO Box 1446 Darlinghurst NSW 1300 Tel (612) 9969 3608 Fax (612) 8323 4611 www.pamada.com Printed: 18/09/2009 Z:\01 Pamada\60 File: Kyoto\KEP\MainDocument\App.docx Client: Kyoto Energy Company Pty Ltd Pamada Project Manager: Mr Mark Dixon Pamada Project Director: Mr Mark Sydney Pamada Reference Number: KEPS Responses to the Public submissions received during public exhibition of the Kyoto Energy Park proposal in accordance with Part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979. 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Responses to Public Submissions (August 2009) pamada Page 3 CONTENTS Key Amendments ____________________________________________________________________ 5 PART A – GOVERNMENT SUBMISSIONS ................................................................................... 6 1.0 NSW Department of Water and Energy _______________________________________________ 6 1.1 Department of Defence ____________________________________________________________ 6 1.2 Upper Hunter Shire Council (UHSC) __________________________________________________ 6 1.2.1 Community Participation ______________________________________________________________ 7 1.2.2 Social and Economic Impacts ___________________________________________________________ 7 1.2.3 Biodiversity Flora and Fauna ___________________________________________________________ 10 1.2.4 Heritage ___________________________________________________________________________ 10 1.2.5 Noise Impacts ______________________________________________________________________ 11 1.2.6 Buffer Zone ________________________________________________________________________ 12 1.2.7 Visual Impact _______________________________________________________________________ 13 1.2.8 Aviation Issues ______________________________________________________________________ 13 1.2.9 Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) _____________________________________________________ 13 1.2.10 Mineral Resource Sterilisation ________________________________________________________ 14 1.2.11 Hydrology ________________________________________________________________________ 14 1.2.12 Geology and Soils __________________________________________________________________ 14 1.2.13 Transportation and Traffic ___________________________________________________________ 14 1.2.14 Bushfire Risk ______________________________________________________________________ 19 1.2.15 Transmission Line Connection to the Grid _______________________________________________ 20 1.2.16 Other Matters _____________________________________________________________________ 21 1.3 Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) _______________________________________________ 22 1.4 Airservices Australia _____________________________________________________________ 23 1.5 Hunter –Central Rivers Catchment Management Authority (CMA) ________________________ 23 1.5.1 Catchment Action Plan (CAP) __________________________________________________________ 23 1.5.2 Vegetation Offsets __________________________________________________________________ 23 1.5.3 Native Vegetation ___________________________________________________________________ 23 1.5.4 Corridors __________________________________________________________________________ 24 1.5.5 Sediment and Erosion ________________________________________________________________ 24 1.6 NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) _________________________________________ 24 1.6.1 Coal and Gas Resource Sterilisation _____________________________________________________ 24 1.6.2 Other Mineral resources ______________________________________________________________ 25 1.7 Muswellbrook Shire Council _______________________________________________________ 25 1.7.1 Transmission Route Option 4 __________________________________________________________ 25 1.7.2 Heavy Traffic along Wybong Rd ________________________________________________________ 25 1.8 Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) __________________________________________________ 26 1.9 Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC) _______________________________ 26 1.9.1 Protection of the Environment Operations Act ____________________________________________ 26 1.9.2 Aboriginal Cultural Heritage ___________________________________________________________ 26 1.9.3 DECC Estate ________________________________________________________________________ 35 1.9.4 Threatened Species __________________________________________________________________ 35 1.10 Department of Lands ____________________________________________________________ 35 1.10.1 Crown Roads ______________________________________________________________________ 35 1.10.2 Environmental Protection Reserve and Tenure ___________________________________________ 36 1.10.3 Trigonometrical Stations _____________________________________________________________ 36 Responses to Public Submissions (August 2009) pamada Page 4 1.10.4 Water Reserve (WR41) ______________________________________________________________ 37 1.10.5 Bushfire Assessment ________________________________________________________________ 37 1.11 Rural Fire Service (RFS) __________________________________________________________ 37 1.12 Energy Australia ________________________________________________________________ 37 PART B – COMMUNITY SUBMISSIONS ................................................................................... 39 2. 0 Summary of Questions from the Community responses ________________________________ 39 2. 1 Responses to Questions from the Community ________________________________________ 45 PART C – MODIFICATIONS TO THE PROPOSAL ....................................................................... 66 3.0 Preferred Layout ________________________________________________________________ 66 3.1 Revised ________________________________________________________________________ 69 Scope of Works ____________________________________________________________________ 69 3.2 Conclusion _____________________________________________________________________ 69 PART D – REVISED STATEMENT OF COMMITMENTS (SoC) ..................................................... 71 PART E GLOSSARY OF TERMS & ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................... 89 Responses to Public Submissions (August 2009) pamada Page 5 Key Amendments The KEP project has significantly reduced the overall impacts relating to the proposal placed on public exhibition. Issues have been brought forward by Government departments and concerns have been raised by community stakeholders. These issues and concerns have been addressed in Part A (Government responses) and Part B (Responses to Community) respectively. Most of the issues raised were in relation to impacts associated with wind turbine generators. Following consideration of these issues raised a final revised layout and revised scope of works for the proposal has been included in Part C. All changes and amendments to the original Statement of Commitments has been included in Part D reflecting these issues. As of the date of this report a further eight (8) wind turbines have been omitted from the proposal and specifically from the Middlebrook Station site. These turbines were removed due to conflicts with aviation procedures at the Scone aerodrome. These turbines were also of most contention in consideration of visual effect, vegetation disturbance and impacts on the adjacent Towarri National Park to the north. Removal of these turbines has significantly reduced the overall residual environmental