Woodlawn Advanced Energy Recovery Centre - SIA

Veolia Environmental Services (Australia) Pty Ltd

Woodlawn Eco Precinct, Tarago, NSW, Australia

Veolia proposed the Woodlawn Advanced Energy Recovery Centre - a facility to recover energy from up to 380,000 tonnes of residual waste annually and generate up to 30 MW of electricity. The SIA had to weigh regional employment and renewable energy benefits against community concerns about air quality, amenity and cumulative impact from the existing Woodlawn Eco Precinct.

Delivered the Social Impact Assessment covering social baseline, stakeholder engagement, identification of positive and negative impacts, and development of mitigation and enhancement strategies for the proposed thermal treatment facility.

Social baseline covering demographics, housing, health and socio-economic factors. Engaged local stakeholders through interviews, workshops and community surveys; separated project-specific effects from cumulative impacts of the existing precinct; and developed mitigation strategies alongside enhancement measures anchored in Veolia's existing community investment structure.

The SIA concluded the Woodlawn ARC would deliver substantial social and economic benefits - creation of 300 construction jobs and 40 operational roles, and continued community investment through the Veolia Mulwaree Trust which has funded over $12 million in local projects. The assessment enhanced local infrastructure planning and supported NSW's sustainability goals while giving the community a clear line-of-sight to how their concerns had been addressed.