Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner Tony Maher says too many rural and regional communities feel like this transition is being done to them, not with them.

"Projects are being announced, good people are being approached by charlatans and salespeople looking for a quick sale and signature under a veil of non-disclosure secrecy," he says.

"Timelines are being set, and decisions made, while locals are left feeling like bystanders in their own backyards.

"That’s not just unfair—it’s unsustainable.''

His comments come as NSW Farmers call for urgent protections for farmers who host renewables after the former Energy Infrastructure Commissioner warned they could be on the hook for millions in the future.

In an interview published on Wednesday 3 September, former Energy Infrastructure Commissioner Andrew Dyer warned farmers could be left “on the hook” for the costs of decommissioning old renewable installations on their farms, if contracts were unclear on “who pays what”.

“It might cost you more to decommission the turbines left on your property than the revenue you earn over the next 25 years,” The Daily Telegraph reported.

NSW Farmers’ Energy Taskforce Chair Reg Kidd said energy developers should be required to pay a bond to cover the costs of decommissioning the projects they had built, so farmers were not left to pay millions in project clean-up costs.

“Farmers are being told they need to bear the burden of powering our future, the very least government can do is guarantee they won’t be bankrupted as a result,” Mr Kidd said.

“These comments from Andrew Dyer are really alarming, farmers could be left with a clean-up bill in the millions for some of the projects being built on their farms – and that will simply cripple them.

“Many landholders have been pressured into signing contracts that are unclear as to who must remove this infrastructure at the end of its life, and if developers disappear or run out of cash, then farmers could also be left high and dry with huge bills to pay.”

Reg Kidd. IMAGE: Farmer Magazine

But Squadron Energy's Chief Executive Rob Weals told the Western Plains App it's not the case that farmers will be left with a bill at the end of life of a wind farm.

"All wind farm projects must have a legally binding, fully funded decommissioning plan approved by state governments, so landholders are never left with the bill. ''

He said Queensland also requires developers to lodge a bond but what we'd like to see is a single national scheme, with funds secured in trust or an insurance model to guarantee decommissioning.

'To give farmers confidence, we backed the RE-Alliance guide that helps them ask the right questions and be sure their interests are protected. '' Mr Weals said.

Squadron Energy has signed a Voluntary Planning Agreement with Warrrumbungle Shire Council funds which will help the community with projects.

The deal was complete on 8 August.

Squadron Energy recently sponsored a snow trip for Dunedoo Central School.

''The trip blended education and sport, offering students a chance to develop resilience, teamwork, and independence in a dynamic alpine environment.

"To further support the trip, students had been actively fundraising through community initiatives like volunteering in the Junior League Canteen, hosting a School Disco, and catering for Landcare events,'' a spokesperson for Squadron Energy said.

''Squadron's support helped cover some of the costs of the trip, which included bus hire, ski tickets and equipment hire, and accommodation and food.

"Thanks to the support, Dunedoo Central School delivered a transformative experience that students will remember for years to come.''

However the possible future pain of cleaning up renewable sites is currently overshadowing positive contributions like this to local communities.

Farmland in the area of Spicers Creek Wind Farm. [IMAGE: Squadron Energy]

With media reports claiming the costs of decommissioning some of NSW’s largest wind developments could be as much as $50 million, Mr Kidd said there must be swift reassurances and legal protections from government to protect farmers.

“We’ve got one of our top energy experts in the nation telling us that farmers could be left with a bill that’s more than 25 years’ worth of their income to clean up the mess that these renewable projects leave,” Mr Kidd said.

“So we’re expected to feed people, clothe people, power their homes, and in 25 years’ time we might be relying on the goodness of some foreign multinational not to leave us high and dry.

“This race to renewables is a government priority, so if they care about the farmers and communities that host these developments, the very least they can do is guarantee we won’t foot the bill.”