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POSITIVE MEETING: Whyalla Mayor Lyn Breuer (second from left) with Fairlie Delbridge, Tim Anderson QC and Janet Finlay from the State Planning Commission.
Whyalla’s status as a leader in renewable energy development was further recognised with a visit from members of the new State Planning Commission.
Whyalla Mayor Lyn Breuer met with Chair of the Commission Tim Anderson QC and fellow commission members Fairlie Delbridge and Janet Finlay last week (July 12). Mayor Breuer welcomed the Spencer Gulf Cities-hosted visit and said it was another step forward in Whyalla’s growth as one of the leading renewable energy sites in South Australia.
“I think they were impressed with the amount of projects happening in Whyalla and the region,” Mayor Breuer said.
“They visited the SSE solar farm in our industrial area and others sites earmarked for some large-scale renewable operations.
“I’m sure they shared our excitement with the new renewable projects we’ve got coming and the scale of them.”
The visit was also the opportunity for Whyalla and the Spencer Gulf Cities to highlight to the commission the sort of assessment guidelines needed for the region to progress with its rapidly-advancing renewable energy projects.
“With some large scale renewable projects on the table for Whyalla, this was a significant visit from the commission,” Mayor Breuer said.
“This is the commission that can help us in the planning and execution of these projects as we push forward into an exciting new era for Whyalla.
“It is recognition we are a real player in the game and our projects are going to be front and centre when the commission considers the new planning and development guidelines.”
Chair of Spencer Gulf Cities, Port Augusta Mayor Sam Johnson said the Upper Spencer Gulf is shaping up to be the renewable energy capital of Australia but the current planning and development system has not kept up with the scale of development. He said there also needs to be much stronger local input and control over energy developments.
“We fully support renewable energy, but we need to be sensible about where it happens and we need to make sure that our development approval, monitoring and compliance regimes are kept up to date so nearby residents and communities and environments aren’t adversely impacted,” Mayor Johnson said.
“Unfortunately, our planning system is letting our communities down. The current assessment guidelines for renewable energy doesn’t even mention solar, let alone newer forms of technology like pumped hydro, batteries or hydrogen.”