Originally published by Ella McIlveen on News.com.ua
17.03.2026
Aussies in small farming communities in Central West NSW say their lives have been upended by sprawling renewable developments they claim were forced upon them without proper consultation.
Residents of properties located within areas designated Renewable Energy Zones (REZ), some of whom are beyond fourth generation land owners, say the push for clean energy has come at a devastating cost.
“People often come to me in tears, they’re absolutely devastated,” fifth generation farmer Emma Bowman, whose property is located just outside of Dunedoo, told news.com.au.
“It’s been very stressful for the community. There are family members and long-term friends who can’t even be in the same room as each other anymore.”
In this community, energy companies are offering large sums of money to landowners to lease their properties for renewable projects such as the proposed Boree Solar Farm being developed by Canadian company Venn Energy, which will cover more than 1300ha with more than 600,000 solar panels.
Ms Bowman believes corporations are preying on people who are financially vulnerable, and many who accept the deals are required to sign NDAs.
She claimed there had been instances of predatory conduct by developers, such as, waiting until a woman’s husband left the home to confront her alone, or targeting an older person or someone known to be not well off.
“They pick off what they consider to be weaker links,” she said.
Ms Bowman owns a farm with more than 600 cattle and 1,200 sheep and says she is “absolutely terrified” about the effects of the projects on her livelihood, particularly considering the resources they will suck up including water.
“Water is a finite resource, especially here,” she said.
“It’s not neverending and we don’t have another option if it dries up. We have people whose dams have dried up.
“Overusing our water for these projects is a huge issue.”
Like many members of the community, Ms Bowman believes there has not been enough transparency from the energy companies.
“There’s a lot of unanswered questions and we get very generalised answers. Where the water is coming from is a big one,” she said.
Renewable energy giants have fiercely denied these claims.
A spokeswoman for Venn Energy told news.com.au the company had “undertaken a range of engagement activities to keep the community informed”.
She said it held multiple community drop-in sessions and followed up on the feedback given at them.
NSW government-owned EnergyCo also said it had undertaken “extensive community consultation in the Central-West Orana REZ transmission project since 2020”, citing “corridor discussion”, landholder engagement and pubilc exhibition of the environment impact statement, which attracted more than 400 submissions.
A report released by the NSW Legislative Council in August of last year found that a significant proportion of the Central-West Orana community believe the REZ has negatively impacted their region.
It indicated “there has been inadequate consultation between the NSW Government, renewable energy developers and the community”.
Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner (AEIC) Tony Mahar told news.com.au the commission had recieved 53 complaints regarding solar and wind projects in the Central-West over the last year.
Most of the cases were categorised into concerns about transmission lines, visual impacts, acoustic impacts, inconsistent information and neighbouring payments.
“Generally people are not getting enough information, but it varies from company and project,” Mr Mahar said.
“There’s a real need to make sure some of the basics are covered. Critical information is not being passed on well enough to the community.”
Mr Mahar said there can be real benefits to communities if these projects are “done well”, including water treatment plans and better infrastructure such as roads.
“There are instances of where it has worked well elsewhere, and we have to replicate these things,” he said.
Mr Mahar believes energy corporations need to “respect and recognise the community”, and he seeks to hold them accountable where necessary.
“They need to demonstrate to the community that they’re listening and not just ticking boxes,” he said.
“Where it’s possible, (they need to) change, adapt and be flexible.”
Mr Mahar said currently the community looks at these projects and “feel worse off”, highlighting a real need for corporations to make benefits clear.
What is a REZ?
Renewable Energy Zones (REZs) were first established in 2020 and are specific regions that are designated by the state government as areas to develop large-scale wind and solar farms, battery storage and the transmission infrastructure needed to link them to the grid.
These developments operate with the goal of cutting costs, reaching net zero, and speeding up the shift away from fossil fuels.
The Central-West Orana REZ in NSW covers approximately 20,000 square kilometres of land, roughly the size of some countries such as Israel or Wales.
As of the 2021 ABS Census, approximately 92,000 live in the area which takes in homes, business and entire towns.
According to the Department of Geoscience Australia, renewable energy sources account for only modest proportions of Australia’s primary energy consumption (about 5 per cent), and electricity generation (7 per cent).
‘Pluses and minuses’
While there is a great deal of community opposition to proposed large-scale wind and solar developments, many residents are at pains to point out they aren’t specifically against renewable energy.
“There are always pluses and minuses,” local resident Mark told independent media outlet Commanding the Narrative in a video shared with news.com.au.
“It’s brought people to the community … the pubs, the food, the businesses and accomodation. It’s created money that’s driven up value of houses in town,” he said.
“But, we have enough infrastucture … the power should be produced where it’s consumed and panels should always be built on top of existing structures.”
Another local, Mike, said he struggles to sleep at night due to the sound of the 23 wind turbines sitting on his property boundary.
“They sound like jet engines,” he said.
“My message is enough, for goodness sake. We’ve had enough. We’re getting absolutely smashed by noise and construction. The damage to the environment alone is massive.”
Another resident, Mary, who owns a 500-acre property with stunning views of dams, rolling hills and wildlife said her “rural bliss” was at risk following a proposal for the installation of a solar farm.
She said in addition to being lumped with a 278-degree view of nothing but solar panels, the impact on the soil would mean sheep will never be able to graze the land again.
“The entire Central West is about to look like a total wasteland, and this is what people don’t comprehend,” she said.
“We know there’s heavy metals, toxicity, chemical run-off, and fire hazards involved. They are destroying koala habitat.
“There’s been no due diligence done by government or the proponents of these projects. The government has not done any work to check cumulative effects on communities.”
In response to concerns about environmental impact, Venn Energy told news.com.au the company was undertaking “detailed technical studies examining environmental, social and economic impacts”.
“The Boree Solar Farm is classified as a State Significant Development (SSD) and is subject to a comprehensive assessment process managed by the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI),” the spokeswoman said.
An EnergyCo spokesperson told news.com.au feedback from residents directly informed refinements to its project.
“Community engagement is continuing through construction via a Mudgee Community Information Centre and a mobile community van operated by ACEREZ, and various other channels,” they said in a statement.
News.com.au has contacted Warrumbungle Shire Council and Dubbo Regional Council for comment.
