Dalton and Gunning residents are taking the fight up to a company planning a gas-fired power station in their district.
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Some 70 people, more than half Dalton’s population, poured into the church hall for a meeting on Thursday night. They were there to discuss AGL’s plans for a $1.5 billion gas fired power station, four kilometres north of the town. The project was approved in 2012, but the company put a hold on development until “market conditions improved”.
Now, with the approval lapsing in July, AGL is applying to the Department of Planning for a two-year extension while it decides the power station’s viability.
Locals who thought the plan was “dead and buried” feared AGL could apply for a further modification, ramping up the station to a base load plant. They are planning a full-frontal assault including political lobbying, media campaigning and social media engagement. The ‘Australians Against AGL Power Project’ Facebook page is already up and running.
Residents on Thursday were united in their opposition. They’re objecting to potential environmental, amenity, water, dust and noise impacts, among others. “Why are we settling for a gas fired power station when there are contracts underway right now in South Australia to store the same amount of solar energy as this gas plant will produce, for six times less than the cost of this plant,” co-meeting host and Dalton man Royce Daviss asked.
AGL lodged its modification application under Part 3A transitional planning arrangements. Part 3A was repealed in 2011 amid developer influence claims. But interim arrangements apply to the DA because the project was approved under the legislation.
Meeting host Phil Waine said as such, the Planning Minister had discretion on whether to accept AGL’s extension request and people had “limited rights of appeal”. He urged them to “get active” politically and to bombard the Department with public submissions by the April 13 closing date.