Directors of a company that is advocating for the infrastructure at Wallerawang Power Station to be maintained met with Shooters and Fishers State candidate Brendan May for a press conference at the decommissioned power plant site on Tuesday, November 20.
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Real Axis Pty Ltd has put forward a proposal for the power station site, which would use the current infrastructure to create, initially, a freight hub, and then an industrial park.
You can find more details of the proposed project here.
Company director Scott Hannah said the freight hub would be a simple process to install due to the existing infrastructure onsite.
“To bulldoze the site and start again is just way out of the question,” he said.
“The infrastructure that’s here would cost millions and millions of dollars to redo so it doesn’t make any sense to bulldoze it and start again.”
Mr Hannah said the location was attractive, offering an alternative to high costs of land within Sydney.
“For the western people, we want to bring the industry out to the west instead of trying to bring the west into Sydney.”
EnergyAustralia has declined to comment on particular projects or negotiations it has had about the future of the site, stating “none were sufficiently serious or committed to move ahead, and for others, their timeline is unrealistic”.
“This can’t go on indefinitely. At some point we have to get on with rehabilitating the old Wallerawang power station so the community can have certainty,” a spokesperson said.
“Some parties have expressed interest in the site as a greenfields development. We will continue to engage with interested parties.”
Mr May called on the State Government to step in and intervene to stop the demolition of the remaining assets at Wallerawang Power Station.
“The re-purposing of this site is for a thriving freight hub and industrial park... The Liberal-National Government must intervene to stop this madness.”
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Bathurst MP Paul Toole said he believed the site was well located, with good transport options for repurposing and redevelopment.
“It could be an ideal location for a business or industrial park,” he said.
He said he would encourage EnergyAustralia to continue their process of negotiating with interested parties to reach a good outcome for the Lithgow community.
“I understand EnergyAustralia is committed to supporting jobs and investment in the local community,” he said.
