Bundaberg council rejects controversial battery storage project

A controversial plan to build a battery storage project near a Bundaberg regional supply has been dealt a blow by the region’s council.

A controversial bid to build a large-scale battery storage facility northwest of Bundaberg has hit a significant hurdle with councillors to rejecting a proposed development application.

A controversial bid to build a large-scale battery storage facility northwest of Bundaberg has hit a significant hurdle with councillors to rejecting a proposed development application.

Councillors refused to back the plan at its latest general meeting, with only one of the region’s 10 representatives present at the meeting showing support for the project.

The plan proposed turning an almost five hectare area into a complex including underground electricity transmission line and battery storage cabinets as part of a major electricity infrastructure project on Monduran Dam Rd and Bruce Highway, Takilberan.

A controversial bid to build a large-scale battery storage facility northwest of Bundaberg has hit a significant hurdle with councillors to rejecting a proposed development application.

The council’s development staff recommended the project be approved by councillors.

Mayor Helen Blackburn moved the motion to a vote, but Jason Bartels was the only councillor to actually support the motion.

Ms Blackburn, Deputy Mayor Steve Cooper, and councillors Tracy McPhee, Bill Trevor, Larine Statham-Blair, Carmen McEneany, Gary Kirk, May Mitchell, and John Learmonth all voted against approving the plan.

Cr Deborah Keslake left the meeting prior to the vote after declaring a proscribed conflict of interest as her spouse had made a formal submission to the application.

Ms Blackburn said at the meeting her refusal was based on limited understanding of the project’s environmental and heritage impacts.

She raised concerns about potential impacts on residents, highway traffic, the region’s water supply, and the rural fire brigades ability to respond to any major incidents connected to the lithium storage facility.

“We are being asked to approve something that is undefined” Ms Blackburn said.

“The risks are too high,

“It’s [the risks] wider than the economic growth.”

Immediately after the approval motion was lost, a second motion was moved by Ms Blackburn asking council’s Chief Executive Officer to prepare an alternate resolution to refuse the development application.

It was unanimously supported and the proposed rejection motion will be tabled at the next ordinary meeting at the end of May.

Originally published as Bundaberg council rejects controversial battery storage project