Protesters target Dan Repacholi's office as part of protest against Redbank Power Station biomass plans

The protest, organised by the Redbank Action Group, sought to draw attention to plans to resurrect the former Redbank Power Station near Singleton as a biomass generator.

Verdant Earth Technologies, which is led by businessman Richard Poole, recently announced it had raised $80 million to progress its Redbank biomass plans.

The company is seeking to use forestry waste material to fuel the generator, which shut its doors in 2014 after the collapse of owner Babcock and Brown.

Friday's action was one of numerous protests held around the world to draw attention to the environmental and social impacts of biomass.

"With Verdant Earth Technologies' proposal to burn the native forests of NSW right here in the Hunter at Redbank Power Station, supplied by the newly acquired Sweetmans sawmill at Millfield, there is no more important time to demand that the federal government rules out subsidizing this destruction," Redbank Action Group spokesman David Burgess said.

Mr Repacholi will meet with the group on November 14.

The international day of action coincides with the federal government's deadline for submissions on potential amendments to the eligibility of electricity generated from native forest biomass in the Renewable Energy Target (RET).

It follows years of concerns by environment groups that burning native forest biomass is not sustainable.

"It takes five minutes to burn a tree and 30-plus years to grow a replacement," Coalfields for Climate Action member Janet Murray said.

"Trees are the one thing that works in our favour with climate change - they are proven technology for carbon capture and storage. We have an urgent need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions now - we can't afford to be waiting 30-40 years for new trees to grow to absorb the carbon dioxide emitted from burning the previous batch."

"If approved, the Redbank / Sweetmans proposal would see the native forests of the Hunter and well beyond turned into one big woodchip farm," said Millfield resident Llynda Nairn.

The NSW Land and Environment Court recently rejected the Verdant's appeal to establish the plant under an existing local government approval.

The company will be required to prepare a new development application and environmental impact assessment.

Mr Poole told the Herald the company had recently had meaningful discussions with planning authorities.

"We've been talking to the (Singleton) council and the planning department to see what the best way forward is. I don't want to go into a lot of detail but I think it's moving along well. Whether it takes six months or 18 months I couldn't say."

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