Community & Business
28 May, 2026
Renewable energy rollout pressure
Renewable energy rollout problems
The NSW government has been accused of failing to adequately manage the impacts of large-scale renewable energy projects on regional communities, following a strongly worded intervention from Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner Tony Mahar.
In a letter to NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully, Mr Mahar warned the state’s rapid renewable energy expansion was placing “unprecedented pressure” on regional NSW and exposing major shortcomings in planning and consultation processes.
Mr Mahar, who was appointed by the federal government in 2024 to address community concerns surrounding renewable energy infrastructure, including controversial high-voltage transmission projects, said “systemic planning gaps” were having widespread consequences for local communities.
His letter, sent last month, called for “comprehensive cumulative impact assessments” to better measure how renewable energy developments are affecting towns and residents.
The commissioner said the scale of construction activity had led to an influx of temporary workers into regional areas, placing strain on housing and essential services.
The projects were “driving up rents and impacting the availability of essential services like healthcare and childcare,” the letter stated.
Mr Mahar also warned that inadequate consultation with affected communities was causing “significant stress” for residents, while damage to local roads from heavy construction traffic had left councils facing “multimillion-dollar repair bills.”
The concerns come as Mr Mahar’s annual report revealed almost half of all complaints about renewable energy projects nationally in 2025 originated in NSW.
Speaking on Monday, Premier Chris Minns acknowledged the transition to renewable energy infrastructure was disruptive for some communities, but insisted the projects were necessary to secure the state’s future energy supply.
“We don’t have a choice,” Mr Minns told journalists.
“If we don’t get going with the renewable energy rollout and energy systems in the state, then we won’t have the power to keep the lights on.”
The rollout of multi-billion-dollar renewable energy zones and associated transmission lines has sparked growing opposition from landowners and farming communities across regional NSW, with critics raising concerns about property impacts, consultation processes and environmental consequences.
Mr Scully defended the government’s approach, blaming the former Coalition government for failing to properly plan the renewable energy transition.
“All they did was draw lines on a map, with no supporting infrastructure — we’re fixing that,” he said.
