EDF Power Solutions Australia seeks EPBC Act approval for 4GWh pumped hydro plant

EDF Power Solutions Australia has referred the Wala Wala Pumped Hydro Energy Storage project to Australia's federal government for assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. The proposed 300-400MW facility in the Dungowan Valley near Ogunbil, in the Tamworth local government area of New South Wales, would offer 10-hour duration storage, providing between 3,000MWh and 4,000MWh of capacity through two new off-river reservoirs connected by an underground pipeline and hydroelectric power station.

The project would connect to the grid via a new substation and 330kV transmission line linking to Transgrid's existing Line 85 near Bendemeer, with a possible future connection to EnergyCo's proposed New England Renewable Energy Zone transmission line. Construction is expected to begin in early 2029 and run for four to five years, with commercial operation targeted from mid-2033 and an operational lifespan of around 100 years. Water supply arrangements remain under investigation, with the referral indicating the project will likely draw at least part of its requirements from the existing Dungowan Dam.

The referral's biodiversity assessment identified 80 threatened species under the EPBC Act with potential to occur across the project area, of which 66 were assessed as having at least moderate likelihood of presence and, applying the precautionary principle, are treated as likely to be significantly impacted. Species considered most at risk include the Regent Honeyeater, Koala, Greater Glider, Large-eared Pied Bat and Spot-tailed Quoll, alongside 26 threatened flora species. Two threatened ecological communities were also confirmed present, including the critically endangered White Box-Yellow Box-Blakely's Red Gum Grassy Woodland and Derived Native Grassland.

Wala Wala adds to a wider pumped hydro pipeline across regional New South Wales as the state seeks long-duration storage ahead of coal plant retirements. In July 2026, the state government granted planning consent to the 3.6GWh Stratford Pumped Hydro and Solar project, the first pumped hydro project to secure final planning consent in the state in six years. However, no survey work has yet been conducted across the transmission investigation area for Wala Wala, with the referral relying on desktop assessment for that component pending further field investigation, and the project has not yet been granted critical infrastructure designation comparable to other pumped hydro developments in the state.