2LT Local News

LITHGOW, Central West, NSW, Australia – Just eleven days after visiting Lithgow, the New South Wales premier and her cabinet, through their governing department, has come in for criticism over their handling of the Wallerawang Power Station.

Deputy Mayor of Lithgow City Council Wayne McAndrew has expressed his extreme disappointment at the decision of the NSW Premier’s Department to wash its hands of providing any assistance in preventing demolition of relevant buildings on the Wallerawang site.

The Department of Premier and the Cabinet has said “the final decision as to the future of the site is in Energy Australia’s hands.”

“The Lithgow Community had accepted verbal undertakings over a number of years that the remediation of the site would be undertaken in a context of accommodating tangible benefits for the Wallerawang and Lithgow communities with economic development particularly in mind, and this has now not eventuated” the deputy mayor said.

“It is my strong view, that just as the Department of Premier and Cabinet has walked away from the communities of Wallerawang and Lithgow, those communities should now “wash their hands and walk away” from those that have made representations to us that the Wallerawang and Lithgow communities would be looked after when the time came for remediation” said Mr. McAndrew.

The Wallerawang Power Station was bought by Energy Australia along with the Mt Piper power station in July 2013. The company outlaid $160 million for the purchases. A little over a year later, in November 2014, Energy Australia revealed it was going to permanently close the Wallerawang plant – and the demolition process began the following year.