The Land and Environment Court will hear the case by the National Parks Association of NSW (NPA) against the previous NSW Government’s decision to allow new overhead transmission lines through Kosciuszko National Park as part of the Snowy 2.0 project. The case will be heard Thursday 3 August.
Last year the previous Government amended the Plan of Management for Kosciuszko National Park to exempt Snowy 2.0 from a planning requirement that any new transmission lines be located underground.
NPA’s decision to take this legal action was facilitated by the Court’s earlier decision to grant a Protective Costs Order to limit NPA’s exposure to excessive legal costs. “Our success in securing a Protective Costs Order highlights the public interest in NPA’s legal action against the use of environmentally damaging overhead transmission lines in Kosciuszko National Park. It also reflects the public interest of this case, and NPA’s high standing as a community-based conservation group with a long history in advocating for the protection of national parks in NSW.”
The proposed overhead transmission connection involves two sets of steel lattice towers up to 75 metres tall, located in a cleared easement of 120 to 140 metres wide and spanning more than 8 kilometres of Kosciuszko National Park. “They will be the first overhead transmission lines to be built in a NSW National Park for nearly 50 years”, Mr Dunnett added.
The overhead lines will clear over 100 ha of pristine national park, destroying valuable ecosystems and habitat. The powerlines will fragment intact habitats and compromise ecosystem integrity.
NPA, backed by engineering and environmental experts, has repeatedly called for the Snowy 2.0 transmission connection to be placed underground, most recently at the Upper House Inquiry into the feasibility of undergrounding transmission lines.
“The Kosciuszko Plan of Management stipulated that any new transmission must be underground, for good reason. What possible justification could there be to exempt Snowy 2.0, other than save Snowy Hydro some costs. The transmission lines should be underground, as is most of the Snowy 2.0 project”.
“Despite the Protective Costs Order limiting our exposure to the Government’s legal costs, the reality is that taking legal action is extremely expensive and something NPA only does as an absolute last resort. We hope that our supporters, those who believe national parks need to be safeguarded from reckless decisions by Governments and developers, will assist in covering those legal costs which are expected to be up to $100,000”.
Further information about the Snowy 2.0 transmission connection and supporting NPA can be found at https://npansw.org.au/campaigns-2/protect-our-parks/kosciuszko-national-park/snowy-2-0/
ENDS
Media Contacts
NPA CEO, Gary Dunnett, NPA Executive Member, Ted Woodley (02) 9299 0000
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