Alpine Shire planning staff recommends support for Dederang BESS

A first-term councillor has led a successful charge to oppose a lithium battery plant in North East Victoria. See the latest.

Alpine Shire councillors have voted 5-2 to object to a 400MW battery storage plant being built on farmland in the Kiewa Valley.

First-term councillor David Byrne from Myrtleford led the successful push to dismiss a planning staff recommendation to make a formal submission to Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny in support of the facility on the Yackandandah-Dederang Road.

The minister will ultimately determine whether the project goes ahead. But the move by councillors on Tuesday night is a timely boost for objectors who have been fighting against the proposal put forward by Mint Renewables in late 2023.

Cr Byrne cited the loss of agricultural land and fire risks among multiple concerns he had.

“(Dederang) is home to some of Victoria’s most productive agricultural land and is zoned farming and this proposal will contribute to the loss and fragmentation of this important zoning,” he said.

“Dederang is classified as high fire risk, indeed the entire shire is classed as bushfire prone.

“Given the volatility of battery energy storage systems, particularly during extreme weather conditions, the risks can’t be ignored.

“The possibility of fires caused by battery failures or malfunctions presents an unacceptable threat to the community and surrounding natural environment.”

Ovens Valley MP Tim McCurdy. Picture: Mike Dugdale

The farming land earmarked for the plant had been assessed as being “low to medium level of agricultural land capability” with the view formed by “preliminary work” of consultants preparing a “rural direction strategy” due for release later this year.

“Farming land can be used for other uses,” shire director Nathalie Cooke said.

“The BESS and substation footprint represents (the loss of) 4ha of land from agriculture.”

Mayor Sarah Nicholas, who voted for council to support the project, said the landholder was “quite within their rights” to make the land available to Mint Renewables.

“The BESS proposal has been put together with landholder consent,” she said.

“We all know farmers are all getting older.

“It gives people the dignity to remain on their land, and love the place they live, and not have to work very hard.”

Ovens Valley MP Tim McCurdy, who was at the meeting, said: “Democracy won tonight.

“Five courageous councillors decided to stand up for the community.

“I commend Cr Byrne for listening to his community and amending the motion to ensure that our genuine concerns are sent to the planning minister, and for bringing many of his colleagues along with him.

“While the battle may have been won, the war is not over, and we must keep fighting.”

MONDAY, 3pm

Alpine Shire planners have backed a 400MW lithium battery plant in the Kiewa Valley, dismissing farmland earmarked for the proposed site as lower grade agricultural land and also downplaying the bushfire risk.

The seven-member council will meet on Tuesday to make its first public position on the proposal that came to light in late 2023 and has been the subject of fierce opposition from Dederang farmers and residents.

A report was released late on Friday, recommending the council endorses lodging a formal submission to the Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny supporting the planning application from Mint Renewables to build the facility on the Yackandandah-Dederang Road.

Dederang landowner Sharon McEvoy has been at the forefront of the fight against a lithium battery proposal in the Kiewa Valley. Picture: Zoe Phillips

Councillors have the option of rejecting the staff recommendation, but adjoining landowner Sharon McEvoy said the council had decided to “support big business and not the local community”.

“It’s near impossible for us to win without their support,” she said.

“It’s pretty devastating. It’s a very big issue and they have never had any kind of open forum with the Dederang community.

“We’ve had our public meetings, but there have been no to-and-fro discussion with council.”

In the report to council, corporate and community director Nathalie Cooke said the land was “not as productive as other farming land located further south in the valley and is considered as having a low to medium level of agricultural land capability”, suited to cattle and sheep grazing.

“The need to avoid the removal of this land from agriculture is less of a concern than had the land been assessed as being of high value or strategically significant agricultural land,” she wrote.

“While the preservation of any agricultural land is important, it also needs to be acknowledged that there is an informal hierarchy which exists when contemplating making farming zoned land available for other uses.”

Paul Ingram, John and Sharon McEvoy, Chris Hicks and Mick Fisher-Smith have opposed the lithium battery proposal in the Kiewa Valley. Picture: Zoe Phillips

Mrs McEvoy said the assessment was a “joke”.

“We see the three cuts of hay and silage that are made nearly every year.

“It’s the best piece of land on the block.”

The report also said Dederang was “considered one of the lower risk bushfire prone areas in the municipality”.

“The proposed BESS, onsite substation and ancillary infrastructure have been co-located with other critical infrastructure in an area which is clear of dense vegetation and the risk of high intensity bushfires.”

Originally published as Alpine Shire planning staff recommends support for Dederang BESS