The solar farm was bought by electricity company ENGIE from renewables developer Neoen in 2023 and construction is expected to be completed in 2027 with the battery operational from 2029.
The community resisted the development when it was first proposed with concerns about proximity to the town; however, the development was accepted in the end.
In mid-April, a newsletter was sent to the community which announced the addition of the battery to the solar farm.
The original application which passed through Benalla Rural City Council did not include plans for a battery.
An ENGIE spokesperson has said the battery was a separate proposal, a decision that was made to reflect the different role it plays in the energy system.
Glen Rodwell volunteers for the Country Fire Association and is part of a group of 12 community members who were nominated in a town meeting to represent Goorambat in discussion with ENGIE.
Mr Rodwell knows the local CFA does not have the capacity to handle a battery fire and said “we don’t have the equipment if one of these toxic batteries explodes.”
The CFA consists of unpaid volunteers, who have not received the specialised training to be able to handle a burning battery.
Mr Rodwell said his branch did not have the specialised gear needed to keep the firefighters safe or handle the higher volume of water needed to fight a chemical fire.
“Who wants to put their body in a toxic environment?” Mr Rodwell said.
Another concern is water run-off from firefighting potentially carrying contaminates into farmland and the Broken Creek.
ENGIE did not respond to a direct question asking if there were any plans to address the CFA’s lack of equipment or training on handling battery fires.
The community has received a map from ENGIE that indicated the town would be affected by noise generated by cooling fans.
The current background noise level of the town is between 35 and 45 decibels, but the battery could increase the noise level by 25 to 35 decibels.
Mr Rodwell said the added noise would change the character of the town and “people come to Goorambat for the quiet lifestyle”.
An ENGIE spokesperson said their planning process involved detailed assessments that included noise modelling and testing of potential mitigation measures such as silencers, barriers and orientation of infrastructure.
The ENGIE spokesperson said the decision to add the battery to the Goorambat site was made to minimise additional land use.
Land use is another concern held by the community, particularly as Goorambat is also located within the controversial Central North Renewable Energy Zone.
Mr Rodwell said the community was supportive of renewable energy, however, “you just have to do it right”.
Mr Rodwell said the project would be better placed in industrial land, rather than in Goorambat which hosts some of the highest quality agricultural land in Australia.
8°C