Nationals’ back pause on renewable energy transmission lines over farmers’ fears

Pausing the controversial acquisition of prime agricultural land to build poles and wires has been backed by the Nationals, including former deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce.

Premier Chris Minns has ruled out a pause on building renewable energy transmission lines which are causing angst in the bush, while at the same time signalling he was unlikely to support putting poles and wires underground.

Mr Minns, responding to a key recommendation from The Daily Telegraph’s Bush Summit which recommended a moratorium over the lines being built over key agricultural land, said he wouldn’t delay the rollout of the infrastructure.

“We can’t, we won’t, it’ll add to delay and therefore add to costs,” he said.

“To also put it in perspective, I’ve got coal fired power stations that are due to come offline in the coming years.

“So we are in a march against the clock to get a reliable source of power to households and we don’t have a second to lose.”

Jacqui Gidley-Baird, in Dungowan, faces having high voltage transmission lines built on his property. Picture: Jonathan Ng

It comes after National Party members at state and federal level threw their support behind the pause button being hit on new transmission lines being built on prime agricultural land, following The Daily Telegraph’s Bush Summit.

A moratorium on building transmission lines – where swathes of land are acquired in the bush to build lines transporting renewable power – was one of the key recommendations to arise from the summit, with former deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce saying farmers were being “swindled” over a lack of information on the project.

“One of the reasons they need to press pause is I’m certain a lot of farmers aren’t fully aware of the liability of what they’re taking on – what is the cost of pulling them down and who is responsible for that?” Mr Joyce said.

NSW Nationals leader Dugald Saunders told The Telegraph on Monday he’d support the move as well.

“I have always supported the idea that renewables should be part of, but not the entire solution, when it comes to our energy future,” he said.

“These plans need to be determined through extensive consultation with local farmers who know their land better than anyone, and it is the Labor Government’s responsibility to figure out what that actually looks like.

“While I am not privy to the latest commercial or technical recommendations, landholders must be at the centre of decision making and if a short-term moratorium is required to make that happen then I would support it.”

His state colleague Kevin Anderson, whose Tamworth electorate has been impacted by the proposals, backed a moratorium but said private approaches by companies to farmers to build wind and solar farms should be analysed as well.

“I support that but I do also support significant further work being done on renewable energy projects on agricultural lands,” he said.

“It’s not just about these high voltage power lines going over agricultural land, there’s also angst over large scale renewable projects like solar locking up prime agricultural lands and preventing further growth in a very lucrative equine industry.”

Energy Transition panellists Jacqui Gidley-Baird (centre) and Tamworth farmers at the 2023 Bush Summit held at the Tamworth Regional Entertainment and Conference Centre. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Dungowan farmer Jacqui Gidley-Baird, whose property has been earmarked for two 500-watt transmission lines, said compensation of $200,000 offered over a decade would not offset the loss her business would take from losing prime agricultural land.

“It’s a massive hit to the farm and the farmers get absolutely no choice in the matter,” she said.

“There is so many things wrong with the rollout of this project … I think it does have to be paused and it does have to go back to the drawing board.”

A spokesman for the NSW Government said no announcement would be made on the projects until the end of a parliamentary inquiry currently underway examining the feasibility of undergrounding the transmission lines.

“We take landholder concerns seriously and it is right that the community has a chance to have their say,” he said.

‘We won’t pre-empt the findings of this inquiry.

“The Minns Labor Government is committed to delivering the renewable energy transition that New South Wales deserves, in a way which is cost effective and environmentally responsible.”

“We are also committed to ensuring local communities are engaged at every stage of the transition.”