An Aboriginal rock shelter was destroyed in March when contractors building access tracks for the Central-West Orana renewable energy zone ran bulldozers over the site, a loss discovered only in May when the network company Acerez carried out due diligence checks.

The heritage site, a 4x2 metre rock shelter in the transmission line project about 300km north-west of Sydney, had been described in public records as a place that could have offered protection from rain, slope wash and westerly winds, and may also have held archaeological deposits. Once the damage was found, a company spokesperson said the processes meant to protect the shelter “were not fully implemented.”

Thomas Dahlstrom, whose reaction captured the shock felt by the traditional owners, said he had been through a “rollercoaster of emotions.” “I was shocked. I was angry,” he said, adding that “it’s gone and it’s not coming back.”

The destruction lands today because it exposes how a major energy project can move ahead on paper with heritage protections in place and still lose a site that was supposed to be safeguarded. The shelter had been identified in the project’s approval conditions and in the contractor’s heritage management plan, and project documents said micro-siting to avoid or minimise impact would be investigated before construction in consultation with an Aboriginal heritage specialist.

Penny Sharpe said she was “furious” about the damage. “It should never have happened and is completely unacceptable,” she said. EnergyCo, the NSW government corporation responsible for delivering the renewable energy zone, said Acerez failed to conduct its work in line with the agreed management plans and heritage protection measures. “These safeguards are clearly defined and must be strictly adhered to at all times,” an EnergyCo spokesperson said, adding: “As a result, EnergyCo has alerted Acerez of its failure to comply with its contractual obligations.”

Acerez said it was deeply sorry and apologised without reservation to the traditional owners and the local community, while also acknowledging that the protection processes “were not fully implemented.” Andrew Gee said he was “appalled” and called for the chief executive of Acerez to resign. The site cannot be restored, and the case now turns on how much accountability follows for a failure that was supposed to be prevented before the bulldozers arrived.