Barnaby Joyce agrees with Adam Marshall that his renewables views are 'binary', denies they are 'banal' or 'prehistoric'

The federal Member for New England told the Express last month he would lobby at Commonwealth level against a state government plan to build as many as as 8000 megawatts worth of wind, solar and battery power projects in his electorate.

In an interview with the Express on Friday, Member for Northern Tablelands and Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall condemned his position as "banal and binary and prehistoric".

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Mr Joyce said he disagreed with his state colleague that renewables have wide support in the region.

"I have to say it is not unusual for Mr Marshall and I to disagree on issues from time to time," he said.

"I disagreed with the banning of the greyhound industry. I disagreed with council amalgamations and I disagree with the New England landscape being littered with an excess of wind farms at the expense of reliable and affordable power and the environment.

"I disagree with Mr Marshall that renewables are widely supported. In many areas, not all, they are not supported. I would politely suggest that Mr Marshall talk to some of those community groups that have serious concerns about their future."

The debate comes after legislation designating the New England a Renewable Energy Zone passed parliament with wide bipartisan support in November.

Mr Joyce said the plan would render his electorate a "sea of wind farms". The industry was already creating widespread land use conflict with farmers and residents across the region, he said.

But Mr Marshall said the electorate can have a renewables industry the community can support, without land use conflict.

In fact, the Electricity Infrastructure Investment Act will mean an end to them, he said.

A huge strategic planning process, set to involve both local communities and councils, will permanently lock out "cowboys" and "tyre-kickers", while permitting about $12.7 billion in new investment, Mr Marshall said.

"It's as simple as this: for the very first time the community will be in the driver's seat and get to control what types of renewable energy projects are developed in the New England and where those projects are developed," he said.

"At the moment we're not in the driver's seat, we're not even in the car. We are simply spectators watching this process evolve around us."

Mr Joyce said the legislation would "put even further pressure on an electrical grid that is near its limit. Additionally, the cost embedded in the legislation would put further upward pressure on power bills.

"If Mr Marshall believes my views are banal, then that is not what I am hearing from people in the New England who do not want their view cluttered with a new industrial landscape of fully imported, foreign owned wind turbines. They want to be heard in this debate and they will not be bullied into silence," he said.

"If Mr Marshall believes my position is binary then I say he is right. Binary between a decision in economics and engineering that is detrimental to NSW, as opposed to a range of better alternatives."

Despite backing the renewables industry and the legislation, Mr Marshall said he opposed a number of "inappropriate" local energy projects, including one at Ben Lomond and a Kentucky project "as proposed at the moment".

Massive investment forecast for the region is set to generate 2000 construction jobs and 1300 ongoing jobs, according to state estimates.

Mr Marshall called Mr Joyce a "goose" in NSW parliament in September.