Winton H2REFUEL Statutory Environment and Planning Approvals

Challenge

Lochard Energy are looking to further develop their H2REFUEL project to investigate potential suitable sites for hydrogen refuelling stations along Australia’s east coast. The initiative aims to form a network of clean refueling centres, intending to supply hydrogen to heavy-vehicle transport operators, bus companies and fuel retailers. It has the potential to displace up to 24 million liters of diesel per annum, consequently abating approximately 65,000 CO2 emissions each year.

Solution

It was imperative for Lochard Energy to engage a local, suitably qualified, and experienced firm to support the management and delivery of all the services associated with obtaining statutory environment and planning approvals.

Our team were engaged to provide a detailed high-level environment, planning and cultural heritage site due diligence and constrains analysis across the four identified sites proposed in Victoria.

Our services were delivered across four distinct phases which included initial project data review and data gap analysis and an Environmental Effects Statement (EES) and Environmental Protection Biodiversity and Conservation (EPBC) Act Self-Assessment(s). Following this, our team prepared a Statutory Approvals Pathway and Strategy Report to provide synopsis of the environmental and planning related primary and secondary approvals and statutory processes that are likely to be required for the project.

The final phase as part of our project delivery saw our team provide statutory application(s) and a range of technical assessments required for the Planning Permit and Environmental Protection Act (EPA) Development License Application. These assessments included Air Quality, Greenhouse Gas, Climate Change, Human Health Risk, Noise and Vibration, Surface Water, Land Contamination, Groundwater, Cultural Heritage and Heritage, Biodiversity (Flora and Fauna), Waste Management, Environmental Management, Land Use and Planning, Traffic and Transport and Glint and Glare.

Impact

Over a three year period, Lochard Energy has extensively engaged with the local Winton and broader regional communities in north-east Victoria on the proposed H2REFUEL project. The stakeholder and community engagement was imperative as this project is the first of its kind in Victoria and it has required detailed explanation of the proposed works to ensure that this new green hydrogen technology and zero emissions future for the transport sector was fully understood and local concerns were integrated into the site design and environmental planning and statutory approval processes.