Locals protest Lake Lyell pumped hydro as EnergyAustralia open headquarters

Police were present on Wednesday December 8, as a number of residents gathered at the Cook Street Plaza before walking to the headquarter premises.

Resident Rob White, who has been vocal about his concerns since the proposal was brought forward in 2021 said the group thought it was a perfect time to highlight their concerns surrounding the project.

"EnergyAustralia has opened their shop this week and we thought it was a convenient time to have our say and say that we don't want it," Mr White said.

Mr White said he attended a meeting at the headquarters on Tuesday December 7 and his concerns were exacerbated as a result.

"It's a lot more concerning than I first thought," He said.

"According to a statement, the wall is a lot bigger than we thought. At its peak its 43 metres high."

"More importantly than that I'm worried about what they're actually planning for Lake Lyell because some of it is going to be closed completely off and filled with dirt."

Project Director of the Lake Lyell Pumped Hydro, Mike De Vink said the opening of the headquarters [HQ] allows the community to have their questions surrounding the project directly addressed.

"It [The HQ] provides a more personal way of people being able to come and ask questions, and collect information, and make suggestions to us about how to how to improve the project," He said.

The shopfront will be open five days a week, with drop in sessions being held around the region in the coming days.

According to Mr De Vink, EnergyAustralia are working with residents to address their concerns.

"We recognise that some of the good people of Lithgow have concerns about the project and how it might impact their situation, and also the broader communities situation- and we're going to keep working with them," Mr De Vink said.

"We want to try and work out ways to make it the least impactful for those groups that are nearest to it. We also want to improve the project overall for the whole of the community."

Mr De Vink said the release on the concept design will provide the community a better insight into the visual and enviromental effects the facility would have if it goes ahead.

"A big part of developing the concept design was working it out to work with the natural geography," He said.

"There were different elements of the project screened to provide the least overall environmental and visual impact."

EnergyAustralia have been working with the University of New South Wales and Austral research to conduct an environmental study of the lake for the last six months.

"We've got probably more than six months, still to go. Those studies have included the biodiversity, the ecology, flora and fauna," Mr De Vink said.

"We've been looking at what species are there, what their habits are going there in the day, going there at night, and also across across the seasons."

"Those studies will inform the EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) about what the potential impacts are, overall. But then we'll also take that information, and try and adjust the project wherever we can to reduce impacts."

UNSW and Austral commenced a study of the Platypus in Lake Lyell last month, with members of the community give the opportunity to be involved.

"They've tracked and tagged quite a few platypus. And we've had some representatives from the community participating that work so they can see how it's how it's being done, and also understand the expertise of the experts from those organizations that are doing that work," Mr De Vink said.

"There'll be another episode of that [research] in autumn. And then the reports will come out from those specialists about the platypus and its habits and what we might need to do to be able to reduce impacts on them."

Mr De Vink said that EnergyAustralia are "Really committed to maintaining the lake for recreation and tourism" and would like feedback from the community about making it a better destination.

"We'll be looking at what other improvements we can make to the laketo make it an even better place to come to boating and do fishing over the longer term," He said.

"We want to hear from the community any ideasthey have around that."