Community members are being invited to have their say on the proposed Lake Lyell Pumped Hydro project, with the public submission window closing soon.
The plans are currently on exhibition through the NSW Government’s planning portal, giving locals the chance to dig into the details and have their voice heard. Submissions close on 28 April, so it’s the last chance to weigh in.
The project, proposed for the Lake Lyell area just outside Lithgow, centres on a large-scale energy storage facility that uses the existing lake and surrounding land. If it goes ahead, it will form part of a broader shift already underway across the region, as Lithgow continues to navigate its place in a changing energy landscape. While the project is based locally, its impact reaches well beyond the LGA, helping to set the tone for how renewable energy and storage projects are assessed, developed and integrated across the Central West, where a number of wind, solar and storage proposals are already at various stages.
As part of the process, a detailed Environmental Impact Statement has been released. It sets out how the project could be built and what it might mean for the area, covering everything from environmental considerations to social and economic impacts. It’s a substantial document, but it’s there so people can make up their own minds based on the full picture.
Like most projects of this scale, there are strong views on both sides. Some see it as a real opportunity for Lithgow, citing construction jobs, flow-on benefits for local businesses, and the chance to build on the region’s long history of powering New South Wales. There’s a sense that projects like this could help keep people in town and create new pathways as traditional industries change. Others are taking a more cautious view, raising concerns about environmental impacts, the effects on local waterways, and what a development of this size would mean for the area’s look and feel. There are also questions around how the project will sit alongside the community over the long term.
That’s exactly why this exhibition period matters; it’s not about landing on a single view but about making sure the full range of perspectives is heard before any decisions are made. Whether people are strongly for, strongly against, or somewhere in the middle, now is the time to have your say.
Once submissions close, all feedback will be reviewed as part of the formal assessment process before a final determination is made.
For locals, it’s another moment in a much bigger story. Lithgow has always played a role in keeping the lights on, and as that story evolves, so too does the conversation about what comes next. What happens here will likely influence how similar projects unfold across the Central West, making this more than just a local decision.
Anyone interested in submitting can visit the NSW Planning Portal to lodge their feedback before 28 April.
https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/projects/lake-lyell-pumped-hydro-energy-storage
