New EPA licensing
Two new sectors will require environmental licences from the EPA from the 2020–21 financial year.
Renewables
With the transition from fossil fuels to renewables, the size, scale and environmental impacts of renewable energy facilities have increased.
These facilities require regulatory effort by the EPA to ensure environmental monitoring and compliance, as well as making sure that effective community engagement is undertaken.
Technological advances also mean there are now more options for these facilities to adjust their operations to deal with issues such as noise.
Generation methods such as pumped hydro, wind farms and hydrogen facilities will be licensed, but solar photovoltaic and batteries will be excluded as their operation does not meet the threshold to warrant licensing.
The EPA will now work with the Department for Energy and Mining, BioEnergy Australia and the Clean Energy Council on how licensing will be introduced.
Poultry farms
From 1 July 2020, poultry farms will join piggeries, cattle feedlots and saleyards in requiring EPA licences.
The shift to licensing has been driven by a substantial growth in both the SA poultry industry and in the size of individual operations.
Poultry sheds can have a range of environmental impacts, including odour, pollution of ground and surface water, waste management and noise.
When the Environment Protection Act was established, the average poultry farm had tens of thousands of birds, but there are now sites with more than a million birds, and the scale and potential impact of the associated environmental issues has increased significantly.
Only sites with the capacity to keep more than 250,000 birds will require licences, bringing SA into line with other states.
Licensing will begin on 1 July 2020. Licence fees and conditions will be determined in coming months, and affected operators will be informed how to make an application.