Energy from Waste project now state significant

The Energy from Waste facility proposed for the Parkes Shire has formally been called-in as a State Significant Development. It means the proposal, being developed by Parkes Energy Recovery, is now officially recognised as having state importance and will be comprehensively assessed by the Independent Planning Commission and the EPA. Projects can be declared 'state significant' if they are important to the state for economic, environmental or social reasons. They can also be considered significant to the state if developments are over a specific size or are in an environmentally sensitive area. Since Parkes Shire Council voted to formally object the Parkes Energy Recovery facility on 17 February, the Independent Planning Commission (IPC) will become the consent authority for the State Significant Development instead of the NSW Department of Planning. The IPC can also become the consent authority if the Department has received 50 or more public objections in response to an application. Community involvement is essential to the process and all State Significant Development applications are put on exhibition for at least 28 days, unless otherwise specified by the Department's Community Participation Plan. Last week Parkes Energy Recovery received the Planning Secretary's Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs). These officially set the baseline and determine the technical assessments required for the project's Environmental Impact Statement. Parkes Energy Recovery director Ed Nicholas has welcomed the release of the SEARs. "From here, we will complete the technical studies required, including air quality, human health, traffic and transport, agricultural impact, noise, biodiversity, water, safety as well as social and economic details," he said. "Since March 2025, we have been listening to feedback from residents and the wider community. "We know this technology is new to Australia, and we understand that hosting communities across the country have questions about how it will work and what it means for them." Mr Nicholas added they are also aware there are people who support Energy from Waste in Parkes and see the benefits it can bring. "The technology we are proposing to deploy to Parkes is used safely in hundreds of facilities around the world - including in the middle of agricultural land, residential areas and in major cities," he said. "We are confident that it will be safe for Parkes. "When completed, our EIS will demonstrate that safety." All assessments will be reviewed by the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure and the NSW EPA, and then published for community review and feedback. This is done, Mr Nicholas said, before any decision is made. "We are committed to delivering robust assessments to give decision-makers and the community confidence in the facility and look forward to sharing the findings as soon as they’re ready," he said.