Malaysian-owned Dinawan Solar Farm has received Development Application approval, despite strong objections from neighbouring landowners and opponents throughout the district, including Hay.
Dinawan will be located 30km south of Coleambally and 30km north of Jerilderie, within the South West Renewable Energy Zone and the Murrumbidgee Local Government Area. Dinawan Energy Hub Trust is a wholly owned subsidiary of Spark Renewables, which is owned by Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), a major Malaysian-based utility firm.
The Trust sought to develop the 1.3 GW Dinawan Energy Hub, including the recently approved 800MW Dinawan Solar Farm with a 356MW/1574MW-hour battery energy storage system and associated infrastructure including substations, a temporary accommodation camp and temporary construction compounds.
The State Significant Development (SSD) application was referred to the NSW Independent Planning Commission for determination because the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure received more than 50 public objections during its assessment period.
The two-member Panel, comprising Suellen Fitzgerald (Chair) and Simon Smith met with key stakeholders, conducted a site inspection and locality tour, received 43 written submissions, and held community stakeholder meetings where they heard from 13 community members.
In its Statement of Reasons for Decision, the Commission found that the project would assist in “improving grid stability and energy security” and aligns with NSW Government commitments to transition to renewable energy.
The project is expected to create approximately 400 full-time jobs during construction and 10 ongoing operational jobs.
The Commission considered concerns raised relating to cumulative impacts, traffic and roads, noise, contamination, social impacts, emergency planning, local infrastructure and insurances and imposed a list of consent conditions to minimise the project’s adverse impacts.
These include preparing and implementing a fire safety study and an emergency plan and complying with set construction hours, noise management protocols and noise monitoring and reporting.
All documents relating to the assessment and determination of this proposal can be found on the Commission’s website: https://www.ipcn.nsw.gov.au/cases/dinawan-solar-farm.
A concern raised by a district resident was that objecting to renewable energy development was becoming more difficult due to a lack of media interest and the Council’s bland ignorance.
“The populace and Councils of the SW REZ and in the Riverina are novices in the grand scale of renewable projects that is unfolding across Australia,” an objection reads.
“Some have limited notion of the irreversible damage being done to our agricultural industry.
“Land clearing on small acreage is prohibited, yet Government is raking through thousands of hectares under the licence of “Critical National Interest”, removing hundreds of thousands of established, carbon-storing trees to replace them with wind turbines.”
During the community stakeholder meeting in Hay, the two-member Panel heard from landholders immediately affected by the development, saying the process has taken an enormous toll on their mental health, particularly the cumulative impact of three developments in their region.
“We are looking for more transparency and co-ordination and would like to see EnergyCo use their powers to minimise the impact on our community,” an objector told the Panel.
“We have to live with this for the rest of our lives.
This article appeared in The Riverine Grazier, 15 April 2026.
