Council to investigate saleyards site as potential home for community battery

Narrabri Shire Council will investigate the possibility of using part of the saleyards site as the potential home for a community battery project.

The battery, a project of Geni.Energy, was originally to be located at the town hall car park in the CBD. However, a previous decision to grant a licence agreement was rescinded at the ordinary meeting held in April this year.

In an update at the August council meeting, the business paper stated briefings from experts and others has occurred since the rescission motion.

“In addition to those, council officers have worked with Geni.Energy to explore alternate sites in the Narrabri area. One particular site, near the saleyards, was identified,” the business paper states.

“However, further investigations are required to determine whether that site has sufficient infrastructure for the proposed community battery.

“In the meantime, [Geni.Energy] have engaged lawyers, who wrote council a letter making certain claims and demands. Council’s governance team sought and obtained formal external legal advice in relation to any legal implications arising from a refusal or other adverse decision to enter into a licence agreement for the location (either outright, or in a different location). Council has sought further information from [Geni.Energy] in relation to their claims.”

General manager Eloise Chaplain told the recent meeting that if the battery project proceeded at the saleyards site, it would be located with council’s water infrastructure.

“What needs to happen now, there needs to be a further investigation to ensure that the power usage there can facilitate the battery as well as our water infrastructure,” Ms Chaplain said.

“We have here in the report, it talks about the saleyards site.

“So that’s right near our water reservoirs.

“That supplies our town water and there’s future use there which we’ve been talking about internally and to councillors about the potential of putting on a filtration unit.

“It might be something we have to look into sooner rather than later. So we want to make sure that the future capacity there can do both things for water use as well as the battery.”

Cr Brett Nolan moved that council authorises the investigation of a portion of the saleyards site for the purpose of installing and operating a community battery. This was seconded by Cr Navin Erathnage.