Energy Australia have confirmed the final decision surrounding the proposed Lake Lyell pumped hydro facility will not be made until late 2025.
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Project Director, Lake Lyell Pumped Hydro Mike De Vink confirmed the timeline with the Lithgow Mercury following community enquiries on social media.
"It will be late in 2025 before we are ready to make a decision about whether to proceed or not," Mr De Vink said.
"There's a lot of work to do between now and then. We'll finish our EIS [Environmental Impact Statement] work, then it will be written and submitted.
"Then it will go on exhibition and then the public has a chance to review that and provide their comments and feedback."
Mr De Vink also provided an update on the range of investigations that have been underway on Mount Walker and Lake Lyell.
"There's still heaps of work going on up the mountain and at the site by EMM on the biodiversity studies," he said.
"The Platypus study has wrapped up now and there was a surprising number of Platypus identified."
According to Mr De Vink, Austral Research and Consulting and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have led the research on the Platypus and will be providing Energy Australia with their recommendations once the report is complete.
"We'll factor their recommendations in and put it in the EIS [Environmental Impact Statement]," Mr De Vink said.
Mr De Vink said Aboriginal archaeology studies are currently being undertaken on the site.
"We're looking to access the cultural heritage aspects that could still be out there," he said.
"So when that's identified there is a proper plan of the artifacts and any other things that might be identified."
Community consultations around the proposed project are ongoing through the HQ on Main Street.
"We want to continue talking to the community about what they think and how we can make the project better," Mr De Vink said.
Reidun Berntsen
Reidun is a Journalist and writer who lives in a country town 3 hours from Sydney, Australia. From a young age, Reidun has been in love with words and the infinite possibilities they bring. Stories, features and poems have been a major part of her writing career.
Reidun is a Journalist and writer who lives in a country town 3 hours from Sydney, Australia. From a young age, Reidun has been in love with words and the infinite possibilities they bring. Stories, features and poems have been a major part of her writing career.
