The controversial聽Snowy聽Hydro聽2.0聽project in southern NSW is a step closer to being realised after the New South Wales government gave approval for its construction.
Conservationists have slammed the project, describing it as an environmental disaster which will destroy national parkland and further threaten vulnerable species.
The pumped hydro聽project聽will link two dams 鈥 Tantangara and Talbingo 鈥 and a new underground power station will be built.
The federal government argues that as renewable energy is unreliable, Snowy聽Hydro聽2.0聽 is needed to act as a 鈥済iant battery鈥. It will pump water uphill into dams and release it when electricity demand is high.
Critics say that Hydro 2.0 will be very expensive and will increase the production of greenhouse gases overall.
National Parks Association of NSW (NPANSW) spokesperson Gary Dunnett said on May 21 that the Snowy聽2.0聽approval in Kosciuszko National Park sets bad 鈥渆nvironmental and legal precedents鈥 and puts Australia, once a leader in national park management, 鈥渁t the 鈥渂ottom of the pack鈥.
He said that the government had ignored 50 energy, engineering, economic and environmental experts and organisations 鈥渨hose analysis utterly discredited the claimed benefits of聽Snowy聽2.0鈥.聽
Their letter to Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Prime Minister Scott Morrison stated that Snowy 2.0 will cost many times its original estimate and will not deliver its 鈥渃laimed benefit鈥. They also said that it would 鈥減ermanently damage Kosciuszko National Park鈥 and that there were 鈥渕any alternatives that were cheaper, more efficient and would incur less greenhouse gas emissions.
聽鈥淣ever before has an industrial project been approved in a National Park, let alone one on such an enormous scale and wreaking such devastating environmental damage,鈥 Dunnett said. That damage includes the dumping of 14 million cubic metres of contaminated spoil in the Park (on land and in reservoirs).聽聽
Snowy 2.0 will allow pest fish and diseases to be transferred from Talbingo up to Tantangara Reservoir and from there 鈥渢hroughout the Snowy Scheme and downstream rivers 鈥 Murrumbidgee, Tumut, Thredbo, Snowy and Murray Rivers 鈥 devastating both native fish and trout鈥. 聽The critically endangered fish stocky galaxias would be at risk, and as well as several other threatened species.聽
鈥淭he unique habitats of the alpine zone were particularly hard hit by the terrible fires of last summer, yet Snowy Hydro propose clearing hundreds of hectares of irreplaceable threatened species habitat,鈥 Dunnett said. 鈥淭here are better energy storage alternatives to Snowy 2.0鈥.
Snowy聽2.0聽has been earmarked for fast-tracked planning approval as part of the NSW government鈥檚 package of major infrastructure projects to stimulate private investment, arising from the COVID-19 recession.
The Snowy聽2.0聽project now returns to the federal government, the sole owner of the聽Snowy聽Hydro聽scheme, for final approval.
The NPANSW has called for an immediate halt to Snowy 2.0 and for a comprehensive independent expert review to be undertaken.