With the NSW Government announcing that construction will begin on the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) in a matter of months, serious questions still remain, State Member for Dubbo Dugald Saunders believes.

He said that now that final decisions on the zone have been reached, locals are still concerned as to its impact on their quality of life, ability to oppose individual projects, and what the monetary implications will be for NSW in the future.

The company ACEREZ has signed-on to construct, own, control, and operate the project for 35 years, including new high-capacity transmission lines, energy hubs, and related infrastructure.

“But the energy minister needs to be up front about what the cost will be at the end of that 35-year period, when the NSW Government takes over the assets,” Mr Saunders argued.

“The CWO REZ continues to cause a lot of angst for residents who have had these projects forced into their backyards, and they are fed up with how poorly this process has been handled, including a lack of proper consultation,” he added.

With more projects being added, the REZ seems to be growing each day, Mr Saunders said. Locals haven’t been able to get answers as to where it is up to.

“That’s why we need a moratorium and stocktake on renewables projects in the region to get a clear idea of the cumulative impact, because our state’s only active REZ is already completely overblown.

“I have always said when it comes to renewables, regional communities are doing the heavy-lifting and therefore need to be fairly compensated,” Mr Saunders said.

He claimed that he had continually raised the idea of a proper shared benefit scheme for the REZ, with locals to benefit financially, including with cheaper power.

“But, so far, in all the government’s announcements, it is not clear what those benefits will be and how they will be chosen for each community,” Mr Saunders said.

“It’s not good enough for regional residents and community groups to be left in the dark and we need the government to step up and ensure meaningful discussions are happening now,” he concluded.