2 min read
An Environmental Impact Statement is a major requirement for many renewable energy generation, storage and transmission projects. But producing the document is not the objective.
A strong EIS should help a project team understand the environmental and social issues that could affect the project, determine where design or mitigations need to change and establish a clear basis for assessment and future delivery.
Find the constraints while the project still has options
The earlier a project understands its environmental constraints, the more flexibility there is to respond. That can include biodiversity values, threatened species habitat, Commonwealth environmental matters, water, heritage, landholder or community issues and interactions with surrounding infrastructure.
When these considerations are identified early, they can inform site selection and design. When they emerge later, the options may be narrower and changes more expensive.
Technical studies need to inform the project - not sit beside it
Renewable-energy assessments can involve numerous specialist workstreams.
The value comes from how those findings are brought back into project decisions.
For example, biodiversity studies may identify areas that should be avoided or require additional assessment. Bird and bat utilisation studies may influence the design of wind infrastructure. Stakeholder or land considerations may change how an access route or project element is approached.
A well-run EIS process connects those findings rather than treating them as independent reports.
State and Commonwealth requirements need to be considered together
Major projects can be subject to both NSW and Commonwealth environmental requirements. Understanding those pathways early is important so that project teams know what information will be required, where assessment processes intersect and where additional studies or referrals may be needed.
WolfPeak's work on the Strontian Solar Farm includes preparation of the Scoping Report, EIS and submissions report, with the project also referred for Commonwealth consideration of potential impacts on Matters of National Environmental Significance. Read more about our work on the project here.
Approval should set the project up for delivery
The EIS is also the foundation for what comes later.
Project commitments, mitigation measures and assessment assumptions can ultimately become conditions, management requirements and compliance obligations. If those commitments are difficult to implement or disconnected from how the project will actually be built, the issue does not disappear when consent is granted. It becomes a delivery problem. This is why environmental assessment benefits from people who understand both approvals and what happens once a project reaches site.
“If project commitments are difficult to implement or disconnected from how the project will actually be built, the issue does not disappear when consent is granted. It becomes a delivery problem.”
De-risking rather than documenting
No assessment process can remove every environmental risk. The goal is to identify the important issues early, understand the evidence required and give the project team enough information to make informed decisions before options become constrained.
For renewable energy proponents, that is where an EIS adds its greatest value.
Learn more about WolfPeak's environmental services for energy infrastructure
