Pumped hydro expert Professor Andrew Blakers puts proposed Yetholme project's water use in perspective

Professor Andrew Blakers - who was part of an Australian National University team that did an audit five years ago of potential pumped hydro sites across Australia - also says the Yetholme project doesn't need to be in one of the state's existing renewable energy zones.

The Western Advocate asked Professor Blakers about some of the common criticisms about the Yetholme project, which received a recoverable NSW Government grant recently but has failed to win the confidence of Bathurst MP and Deputy Premier Paul Toole.

The project would involve the construction of a reservoir at the top of Mount Tennyson, near Yetholme, and another in a nearby valley.

Water would be pumped to an upper reservoir, stored there and then the water would be released to generate energy at the times of day it is most needed.

The Friends of the Fish River community group launched an electronic petition against the project in mid-August and has been critical of many aspects of the proposal, including what it says is the unsustainable volumes of water that will need to be drawn from the Fish River and the environmental impacts during construction.

In terms of the water required for the project - an initial 3.3 gigalitres from the Fish River and 400 megalitres annually to account for evaporation and seepage - Professor Blakers said it was "unlikely to be a problem".

"The initial fill will remain in the system for the next 50 to 100 years, going up and downhill several hundred times every year," he said.

"A small amount of water will be needed in dry years to replace evaporation (if evaporation exceeds rainfall).

"The total amount of water required each year on average is less than one part in 100,000 of the 16,000 gigalitres used in Australia each year.

"It is only 10 to 20 per cent of the water consumed by a coal-fired power station with similar capacity that the pumped hydro system will help replace."

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He said the location for the Yetholme project was "suitable" due to its "good height difference between upper and lower reservoirs", the fact it is outside protected areas and there are "not many trees to clear".

The project has faced criticism that it will not necessarily use 100 per cent renewable energy to pump the water uphill, but Professor Blakers said Australia will get about 90pc of its electricity from renewables by 2030, "up from 16pc in 2017 and 35pc this year".

In terms of the Yetholme project being outside the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone, Professor Blakers said pumped hydro projects "can be placed anywhere there is access to transmission".

"The Lithgow area is an excellent place because of good wind, good sun, good pumped hydro sites and good transmission," he said.

An environmental impact statement for the project is imminent.

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