On Wednesday, the Clean Energy Council launched a new national framework to guide the decommissioning of old renewable installations on farms across the nation.
While the framework wasn’t enshrined in law, NSW Farmers’ energy taskforce chair Reg Kidd said work to ensure developers took full responsibility for decommissioning renewables was long overdue.
“Energy developers should be required to pay a bond to cover the costs of decommissioning the projects they have built, so farmers aren’t left to pay the astronomical costs of cleaning up what’s left behind,” Mr Kidd said.
“Many farmers were pressured into signing contracts that are unclear as to who has to remove this infrastructure at the end of its life, and if developers disappear or run out of cash, then that’s just another risk that could leave farmers footing the clean-up bill.
“If you put it up, you take it down – that’s just common sense, but right now, there’s no guarantee that’s what will happen.”
As well as legal protections to ensure developers were liable for the decommissioning of their renewable projects, Mr Kidd said it was vital developers also took responsibility for the complete rehabilitation of the land on which their projects were built.
“The clean-up costs of some of these projects are well into the millions, and developers must be prepared to pay to decommission these projects properly,” Mr Kidd said.
“We can’t afford for these installations to leave scars across our landscape when we need to care for our environment, so we can use it to feed and clothe the people we also power.”
