Hart Road, Loxford NSW · Cessnock City LGA · SSD-128819490
540 MW · 21 ha · Status: Prepare SEARs, not yet exhibited
Former Hydro Aluminium Kurri Kurri smelter, remediation substantially complete · Applicant ADW Johnson Pty Ltd
Both sites are in New South Wales. Both were scored under LVI rubric v0.3, from the same categories of public source: network operator statements, water authority data, the NSW Planning Portal submissions register, parliamentary records and media. They land 36 points and two bands apart.
| Metric | Mamre Road, Kemps Creek | Kurri Kurri, Loxford |
|---|---|---|
| Scale | 1 GW, 52 ha | 540 MW, 21 ha |
| Final LVI | 39 High-risk | 75 Guarded |
| Raw sum | 66.7, capped to 39 | 75.0, no cap |
| Grid Headroom | Cap trigger | 16.7 / 25 |
| Water Headroom | 25.0 / 25 (pro-rated, one gap) | 20.8 / 25 |
| Community Licence | 12.5 / 25 | 20.8 / 25 |
| Regulatory Clearance | 20.8 / 25 | 16.7 / 25 |
| Latent Opposition Flag | Not raised | Raised |
Click a pillar to see the evidence, the confidence rating and the source lineage behind each sub-indicator. This site is at an early planning stage, so several indicators rest on a thin record. The confidence ratings show you exactly where.
Flip any sub-indicator and watch the LVI respond, including the cap logic. Sub-indicators marked with a dot are critical: a Severe on one of those holds its whole pillar in bottom band regardless of the arithmetic. Try dropping Grid available capacity to Severe, which is what a refused connection would mean. The cap fires immediately and this site lands in the same band as Mamre Road.
Sub-indicators share their pillar's 25 points equally, computed as exact thirds and sixths. N/A items are excluded and the pillar pro-rates across the rest, with the gap flagged. Cap rule: one pillar in bottom band caps the LVI at 39; two or more caps it at 19. A pillar is in bottom band if it scores 6 or below, or if a critical sub-indicator scores Severe.
The rubric never assumes best case. This is an early-stage application, so the gap list is longer than on a fully exhibited site. That is a fact about the site, and it is shown rather than smoothed over.
Not confirmed against the applicable planning instrument or the Portal spatial viewer. The wider holding has been through a rezoning programme and the Department has accepted the proposal as State Significant Development, but permissibility is not directly evidenced. Drives the Mid on zoning fit and is the highest-value gap on the site.
No exhibition, no submissions register, no formal opportunity for anyone to object yet. The Latent Opposition Flag is raised for exactly this reason. This is the single largest unknown in the score.
The application nominates connection to an existing 132 kV Ausgrid line. That is a sub-transmission asset and 540 MW is a very large load for it. Whether upstream augmentation is required is unresolved on the public record, and no connection offer or application is visible.
Quoted here via Newcastle Herald and Data Center Dynamics. The document is available in the Portal's Request for SEARs attachments and should be read directly before customer delivery.
Described as substantially completed. No site audit statement or completion certificate located. Residual contamination remains a live assessment matter for any EIS on a former aluminium smelter.
The applicant is a project management firm. The eventual operator is not on the public record, which limits any assessment of proponent track record or delivery capability.
Every sub-indicator traces to the public record, with its lineage classified as primary, secondary or inferred.