NSW Energy Minister concedes mistakes in renewable rollout after Aboriginal heritage site destroyed

New South Wales Energy Minister Penny Sharpe has conceded mistakes will occur with the rollout of renewable energy projects but says it is necessary to speed up their development.

In March, renewable energy consortium ACEREZ destroyed an Aboriginal heritage rock shelter near Mudgee during the construction of transmission infrastructure for the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ).

An investigation conducted by the company concluded "failures in site design and on-site construction protocols" led to the irreparable destruction of the site.

Ms Sharpe made the admission after announcing a grant program for producers within the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone at the National Renewables in Ag Conference in Orange on Wednesday.

Ms Sharpe said she was "appalled" by the actions of ACEREZ.

"We cannot say to First Nations communities that we will look after your heritage and then have something like that happen.

"You cannot build trust with communities if we don't do what we say we're going to do."

Speeding up development

Ms Sharpe said the rollout of the Central-West Orana REZ "has been way too slow" with the state racing to meet its energy targets.

"This infrastructure needs to be built … We are doing it very quickly and when you do things quickly, things go wrong," she said.

"We are seeing more projects being approved and coming out of the system, which is very welcome."

Dubbo mixed farmer Emily Blackburn implored the state government to ensure producers' concerns were properly considered.

"I really encourage the government to pause, plan and treat landholders fairly and listen to communities.

"I can feel the fear, the angst in my local community."

Grant funding announced

Ms Sharpe announced at the conference that farmers within the Central-West Orana REZ would soon be able to receive grants to purchase agricultural technology under a state government initiative.

The $1.4 million Smart Funding Program will see 70 per cent of the cost of eligible technologies covered by the state government, up to a maximum value of $35,000.

The tools must assist with improving productivity, safety and business resilience, such as drones, water sensors, livestock and crop monitoring devices.

"It will help people with the up-front cost of smart tech on their farms," Minister Sharpe said.

Karin Stark is a wheat, cotton and barley producer near Narromine, with her property falling within the Central-West Orana REZ.

"Having these types of funding programs is a way of trying to help others within an REZ to ensure that they can see some of the benefits of the money coming in," said Ms Stark, who organised the National Renewables in Ag Conference.

"A lot of communities feel like it has been very rushed, we need to ensure that people understand why the transition is happening and what are some of the benefits.

"It is a great start … But I think a lot more can be done."

Applicants will be required to have completed an Agtech Fundamentals workshop, delivered by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, either online or face-to-face.

Grant applications will open in the coming months, with more than 900 products available for farmers to purchase.