Magpie Hill Solar Farm
Environmental Impact Statement Hub
Timeline | Environmental Impact Statement (EIS Hub) | Technical Studies | Engagement | Resources| Contact Us
Current Status: Prepare EIS
SEARS Issued
Prepare EIS
Exhibition
Collate Submissions
Response to submissions
Assessment
Recommendation
Determination
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
The Magpie Hill Solar Farm is being assessed as a State Significant Development (SSD) under the Environmental Planning & Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act). SSD projects require an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and go through a comprehensive assessment process with extensive opportunities for community input.
● Scoping Report: a preliminary assessment of potential Project impacts, submitted to the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI).
● SEARs (Secretary's Environmental Assessment Requirements): issued by DPHI, these define exactly which technical studies must be included in the EIS.
● EIS (Environmental Impact Statement): the full suite of technical reports assessing the Project's potential environmental, social and economic impacts, and the measures proposed to avoid, minimise or manage them.
● Public exhibition: once lodged and reviewed by DPHI, the EIS is placed on public exhibition (typically at least 28 days) on the NSW Planning Portal, where anyone can make a submission.
Solar could power 127,000 homes in the region. When the BESS on site is fully charged a 1,440MWh BESS has enough energy capacity to supply over 500,000 homes in NSW for 4 hours.
Technical studies underway
Following receipt of the SEARs in June 2026, we've commenced the detailed technical studies that will inform the EIS. These will assess the Project's potential environmental, social and economic impacts and identify measures to avoid, minimise or mitigate potential effects, helping refine the Project's design and layout. The EIS will include assessment of:
● Biodiversity — presence and potential impacts to native vegetation, and significant flora and fauna
● Aboriginal cultural and historic heritage — presence and potential impacts to places of cultural value, e.g. artefacts, burial sites, scarred trees
● Noise and vibration — potential impacts to nearby homes and other sensitive locations during construction and operation
● Landscape character and visual amenity — potential visual impacts, including to surrounding homes and public viewpoints
● Glint and glare — where and when solar reflections may occur, and mitigation options
● Water and soils (including hydrology) — potential flood risk and changes to surface water flows
● Hazards and risks (including fire) — bushfire interaction risk and other hazards such as chemical spills
● Transport, traffic and access — potential impacts on surrounding roads for residents, businesses and tourists
● Social — community values, demographics and socio-economic conditions
● Agricultural, soil and land capability — effects on farming use, soil health, erosion and runoff
● Waste — management of waste generated during construction and operation
● Economic — potential economic benefits and impacts of the Project
Technical studies will also inform the Project's requirements under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).
Get involved - engagement opportunities
Join Mint Renewables to explore the latest updates on the Magpie Hill Solar Farm. Learn about the technical studies informing the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), including early findings from these studies, and share your questions, feedback and local knowledge with the project team.
Upcoming events:
Pop up - Outside of Corang Estate Cellar Door & Pantry
Thursday 27 August, 2:00-5:30pm
Technical Webinar - Fire [Registration]
Technical Webinar - Amenity: Landscape & Noise [Registration]
Community Drop-Ins:
Bungendore Nora Starrs Community Centre
Thursday 10 September, 2:30- 7:00pm
Tarago Town Hall
Friday 11 September, 2:30-6:30pm
Saturday 12 September, 9:00am-12:00pm
Saturday 12 September, 2:00-5:00pm
Upcoming Events
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Technical Webinar - Fire
Wednesday 26 August , 6:00-7:00PM
A session to provide an overview of the Project’s technical assessment and findings.
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Creative Sync
10.21 7:00-8:00PM
An interactive session for makers and thinkers to collaborate, connect, and spark new ideas.
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Inspire Night
10.21 7:00-8:00PM
An interactive session for makers and thinkers to collaborate, connect, and spark new ideas.
You said, we did
Community and stakeholder feedback continues to directly shape the Project. Some examples include:
Protecting areas of higher landscape and biodiversity value: Following feedback about potential biodiversity impacts, an approximately 15-hectare area in the north-east of the investigation area has been removed from the Project footprint.
Poles instead of towers: [insert]
What we’ve heard from the community
Feedback from community members, landholders and stakeholders has highlighted a range of important issues that are being carefully considered as the Project progresses.
Key themes raised during consultation include:
Safety and fire risk, particularly in relation to the BESS, emergency response capacity and local conditions such as access and terrain.
Visual impacts, including how the Project may be seen from nearby homes and across the landscape, as well as concerns about glint and glare.
Noise and amenity, especially potential tonal or low-frequency noise and how it may travel in the local environment.
Traffic and road safety, including increased heavy vehicle movements during construction and impacts on local roads, school buses and emergency access.
Property impacts, such as potential changes to property values and insurance for nearby landholders.
Water and flooding, including drainage, historic flood behaviour and potential impacts on local water sources.
Biodiversity and land use, including potential impacts on native species, land management and agricultural productivity.
Decommissioning and rehabilitation, with a strong interest in how the site will be managed at the end of the Project’s life.
Community benefits, including how benefits will be shared and prioritised locally, particularly for those most directly affected.
Wellbeing, cumulative impacts and trust, with some community members highlighting stress and concern about multiple developments and the need for transparent, ongoing engagement.
We will continue to listen to this feedback and use it to inform Project design, assessment and community engagement as the Project progresses.
In the coming months, we will advertise opportunities to learn more about the technical assessments being undertaken, meet with the Project team, and provide feedback as we prepare the EIS and continue to progress development of the Project.
We encourage anyone interested in the Project to sign up to our Project Newsletter to make sure they stay up to date with the project, including opportunities to provide formal feedback during consultation.
Benefits
We know that our Project will bring inherent economic and social benefits to the community, through a boost to the local economy, local businesses and jobs during construction and operations.
In addition to creating opportunities for local workers, the Project will bring benefits to other industries, including accommodation providers, cafés, and restaurants. Mint is committed to employing local people, sourcing locally wherever possible, and engaging local service providers.
Our commitment to sharing benefits
We will also develop other ways to share benefits of the Project, informed by engagement with stakeholders throughout the development phases of the Project.
We are committed to ensuring that this Project delivers a lasting positive impact for the local community. As an initial step, we have committed to contributing a minimum of $850 per megawatt per annum in community benefits from the commencement of operations.
The total value of the community benefits program will be confirmed once the Project’s final capacity is set.
The final approach to benefit sharing will be shaped by consultation with the community and a clear understanding of local priorities, project constraints, and potential impacts.
Neighbour benefits
We are currently exploring how a neighbour benefit program could be established to ensure that immediate neighbours to the Project share directly in the economic benefits generated by the Project.
Goods & Services Register
We are committed to employing local people and buying local wherever possible.
We are always on the lookout to build new working relationships in the industry and encourage you to register your services and/or business on our Goods & Services Register.
If you are interested in providing goods and services for the project, please register your interest here.
Frequently Asked Questions - EIS Exhibition
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The Project's EIS is expected to be lodged with DPHI towards the end of 2026, with exhibition to follow once DPHI has completed its review. We'll confirm exact dates via our newsletter and this page as soon as they're set.
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The exhibition period is set by DPHI, but is typically at least 28 days. During this time you can view the EIS and supporting technical reports on the NSW Planning Portal, including project maps and photomontages, and make a submission. We'll provide FAQs, visual simulations and opportunities to speak directly with the project team and technical specialists during the exhibition period.
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The EIS will be available on the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) Planning Portal. Details on how to lodge a submission will be provided on the webpage. Submissions can raise questions, concerns, support for the Project, or additional information for DPHI to consider.
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Yes. Submissions received during exhibition are typically published on the NSW Planning Portal as part of a transparent planning process. You can choose to have your name withheld, but any personal information included in the body of your submission will still be published — so we recommend leaving out anything you'd prefer to keep private.
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DPHI publishes the submissions it receives and asks Mint Renewables to prepare a Response to Submissions Report, addressing the issues raised. This report is published on the NSW Planning Portal. DPHI then assesses the merits of the application — taking into account the EIS, technical studies, submissions and our responses — before preparing an assessment report and recommendation. The application is ultimately determined by the Minister for Planning (or delegate) or the Independent Planning Commission (IPC), and DPHI will publicly explain the decision and how community views were considered.
Environment & Planning
The Magpie Hill Solar Farm will go through a rigorous planning and environmental assessment process to ensure impacts are minimised and managed during construction and operations.
The Project will be required to obtain a development consent, under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act). The Magpie Hill Solar Farm will be assessed as a State Significant Development (SSD).
All SSD applications undergo a comprehensive assessment process with extensive community participation and must include an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
The DPHI has now issued the Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs), which clearly define the specific technical studies required to inform the EIS.
The SEARs and Scoping Report for Magpie Hill Solar Farm is available to view on the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure’s (DPHI) Major Projects Planning Portal. You can access it here: Magpie Hill Solar Farm | Planning Portal - Department of Planning and Environment.
A fact sheet on the SSD application process is available here.
Technical studies
We have commenced specialist technical studies and started preparing our EIS in line with SEARs.
These studies will assess the Project’s potential environmental, social and economic impacts and identify measures to avoid, minimise or mitigate potential effects. The findings will help inform the design and layout of the Project.
The EIS will include an assessment of the following:
Biodiversity: Presence and potential impacts to native vegetation and significant flora and fauna.
Cultural and historic heritage: Presence and potential impacts to places of Aboriginal cultural heritage value and significance, such as scattered artefacts, burial sites or scarred trees.
Land: Including site suitability, compatibility and impacts
Noise and vibration: Potential noise impacts surrounding sensitive receptors (e.g, homes and other sensitive locations) during construction and operation of the Project.
Landscape character and visual amenity: Potential visual impacts from the Project, including the landscape character, surrounding homes and significant public viewpoints.
Glint and glare: Assesses locations and times where solar reflections may occur and evaluates potential mitigation measures to minimise visual impacts.
Transport, traffic and access: Potential traffic and transport impacts from the Project to the surrounding roads, including disruptions or changes for residents, businesses and tourists.
Water and soils: Potential flood risk to the site, including potential changes to surface waterflows from the permanent footprint of the Project.
Hazards and risks: Potential risk of the Project starting or interacting dangerously with a fire as well as other potential hazards, for example chemical leaks or spills.
Social: Assesses the existing social environment and considers community values, demographics and socio-economic conditions to evaluate potential impacts.
Waste: Management of waste generated during construction and operation.
Further information on the SEARs for Magpie Hill is available on the NSW Planning Portal: Magpie Hill Solar Farm | Planning Portal - Department of Planning and Environment.
Technical studies will also inform the Project’s requirements under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).
Resources
We’ll share project updates and information via our newsletters and our FAQs.
Stay up to date
We will communicate key project updates via our e-newsletter. Sign up below to subscribe to our e-newsletter distribution list.
Goods & Services Register
We are always on the lookout to build new working relationships in the industry and encourage you to register your services and/or business on our Goods & Services Register.
Get in touch
Feedback and questions are always welcome!
Please get in contact with us via:
1800 HI MINT (446 468)
magpiehillsolarfarm@mintrenewables.com
complaints@mintrenewables.com
Register your services and/or business on our Goods & Services Register.
Privacy Policy download here | Complaints Handling Procedure download here
Mint Renewables will engage meaningfully with First Nations people of Australia and mana whenua of Aotearoa to develop long term relationships based on respect and understanding. Mint Renewables acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country and their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present.