Article by Peter Jenkins, courtesy of Daily Telegraph
17.12.2025
A local mayor is pleading with the Prime Minister and NSW Premier to scale back their renewable energy plans amid fears they could lead to more intense bushfires and a “national disaster”.
Yass Valley Mayor Jasmin Jones said she was opposed to further wind farms being built across the NSW Southern Tablelands, while she said the added threat of bringing large-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) to the region was “frightening”.
One proposed development calls for the introduction of 186 BESS – massive box-shaped installations that store excess energy from renewables and discharge it to the grid during peak periods.
Ms Jones told The Daily Telegraph if BESS was introduced to bushland or forested areas, there could be a “disaster of national proportions if even one battery bank reached thermal runway and ignited”.
“The governments will be responsible for all souls in Yass Valley if they disregard a report we sent them in late September which says that this is too risky,” Ms Jones said. “They need to address the safety concerns we’ve raised.”
In a letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Premier Chris Minns and state and federal ministers, Ms Jones raised “urgent concerns about the safety of our residents”.
“I request an immediate halt to further wind turbine and BESS developments in Yass Valley due to the emerging cumulative risk they pose to bushfire mitigation,” she wrote. “Yass Valley has already contributed significantly to the renewables rollout, with six state-significant turbine and solar projects constructed or approved.
“Given the serious risks to life, Yass Valley Council calls for an immediate halt to further renewables development in our region.”
The Yass Valley local government area is bushfire-prone and has been in drought for the past two years. The region is on high alert with NSW Rural Fire Service chief Trent Curtin predicting an above-average bushfire season.
Ms Jones said the message had not been lost on her.
“There’s no moisture in the soil, the weeds are rampant when the water does hit, and the dams aren’t full on a lot of the properties so the ability to shelter or do your own firefighting is just not an option,” she said.
Planning Minister Paul Scully said the state government had “no plans to implement a renewable energy embargo in any area of NSW”.
