Protestors from the Geurie district voice their concerns of the proposed Geurie Boree Solar Farm during a meetng with
WIN TV on Monday. ...Renee Harrison photos.
IT TOOK less than 24 hours to rally support from Geurie district residents and landholders to attend a protest against the proposed nearby Boree Solar Farm project and other projects in the local region. Rally organiser Renee Harrison said more than 40 concerned residents gathered at the Geurie general store on Monday morning for a WIN TV news interview highlighting growing frustration over poor communication and consultation by renewable energy proponents in the Central West.
The media event, held outside the Geurie General Store, brought together community members opposing two major developments — the Boree Solar Project near Geurie, led by Venn Energy, and the Hampton Park Solar Project near Wongarbon led by ARES. “Speakers from both communities told WIN TV they have been repeatedly sidelined, misinformed, or left in the dark about key project details, despite the scale and long-term impacts of the developments,” Ms Harrison said.
“Many residents say they have had to fight for basic information and engagement that should be standard under NSW planning processes. Both the Geurie-based community group opposing Boree Solar and the Hampton Park action group have lodged formal complaints with the Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner (AEIC). These active cases cite failures in meaningful engagement, selective consultation, and the withholding of critical project information from directly affected landholders and neighbours. Attendees at the gathering said the strong turnout reflected a united call for transparency, fair treatment, and proper planning — not just for these two projects, but for all large-scale energy developments in regional NSW.
Both groups say they have also been let down by their local members, who they believe have failed to adequately represent and advocate for the affected communities. As Wendy Tuckerman MP and state member for Goulburn stated: ‘Listen to the voices of regional communities who are exhausted from being ignored, overlooked and sacrificed.’
Published on the Geurie Facebook page was: “Incredibly frustrated members of the Geurie community exercised their democratic right to express their views about the impact on local landholders.”
Questions asked by the group include:
1. Has the local area been saturated in new energy projects, to justify more projects being built near Geurie?
2. When is it that other parts of NSW will “share the load” and have their landholders host various wind and solar projects?
3. Is the impact upon our community and landholders (including neighbours) being adequately measured to ensure any negative impact is being managed or compensated?