The NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure has conceded it made an error when it issued assessment requirements for a proposed 675-megawatt gas power station at Moss Vale without first consulting other government agencies. The plant would be among the largest gas-fired generators in the state and would supply a data centre campus operated by Cloud Carrier, whose parent company, Nakar Property, is the applicant.
The problem surfaced after a community group asked whether bodies such as the EPA and Sydney Water had been consulted before the requirements went out in December 2025. According to the ABC, a senior departmental official replied that the requirements were issued rapidly because the developer had threatened legal action. The department must issue such requirements within 28 days of a scoping report being lodged, and the rules then in force required consultation with relevant public authorities. That obligation was removed from the regulation in July 2026.
A departmental spokesperson said the omission was a mistake, that agencies will be consulted during preparation of the environmental impact statement and again when a development application is lodged, and that the applicant must consult the community, council and agencies including the EPA. The department did not say whether the legal threat influenced its decision.
Greens planning spokesperson Sue Higginson called the revelation “shocking” and warned that a planning system this easy to pressure points to a deeper problem. Cloud Carrier said consultation was a matter for the department and declined to comment on any legal communications.
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