Farmers take power fight to parliament

As plans for the Western Victoria Transmission Network Project are being finalised by AusNet Services, the power distribution company has experienced fierce objection from residents who farm in the project's proposed path.

Tourello potato farmer Katherine Myers, and 28 other growers in the region, say their livelihoods are at stake, raising safety and operational fears they feel have gone unanswered by AusNet and Energy Safe Victoria (ESV).

AusNet is expected to compensate, or voluntarily acquire land, in some cases where the network will run through landholders' properties - a sticking point for farmers impacted.

"AusNet has told us it is okay to irrigate while they organise compensation, but my concern is that once it is built they can retrospectively change the rules," Ms Myers said.

"Rules, regulations and red tape are becoming more stringent in agriculture, so if there is a chance of that happening, it is an important part of the conversation now when they are negotiating the implications to landholders."

Ms Myers, together with other landholders, will attend Victorian Parliament next Tuesday, demanding government intervention.

"This project is a lot bigger than 290 landholders - but only 290 people will be compensated," she said.

"We want appropriate technology used and for the government to recognise the impact to agriculture and tourism."

Kingston & District Power Alliance chair and Newlyn potato grower Kain Richardson said there had been an "erosion of trust" with variations to the Living and Working with WVTNP operational guidelines.

"We just want to know whether it will be safe to farm," Mr Richardson said.

"Originally it was safe to irrigate under powerlines, then the next guideline said only with a central pivot irrigator that doesn't have end gun booster pumps."

The WVTNP will run from Bulgana near Stawell to Sydenham in Melbourne's north-west and proposes to connect about 900 megawatts of renewable wind and solar energy farms in the western district with the electricity grid.

The operational guidelines say while operating centre-pivot and lateral moving irrigators is permitted, large water spray irrigators were not.

Farmers will need to have approval from AusNet to operate within the operational safety zone for tasks such as transporting livestock, fencing, bore maintenance, machinery movements, and use of potato harvesters.

"There is clearly a safety issue and to suggest there is no issue is misleading and AusNet is daring the community to prove them wrong," Mr Richardson said.

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"My major concern as an employer of five people is that if something goes wrong, and someone is electrocuted, who is liable if you met the criteria of the operational guidelines?"

Mr Richardson's family run a mixed farming operation on their 300-hectare farm, which includes 100 hectares of potatoes for processing that the WVTNP is proposed to be built through.

Several opponents have called for the wires to go underground, but AusNet insists that would be a more expensive option.

In 2019, the Australian Energy Market Operator estimated it would cost $370 million to build it above ground using high-voltage alternating technology, while consulting firm Amplitude found it would cost about $1.6 billion to be underground using advanced high-voltage direct current (HVDC) power.

"Some insurance brokers are saying they won't cover us once the towers are there," Mr Richardson said.

"Ultimately we want the project to be underground, a proper investigation into the high-voltage technology and for the government to consider a 100-year project term, not 60 years."

The Amplitude report also found there was no risk of underground cables starting bushfires, and this option would maintain the power supply during a blaze.

"That's the flaw with the cost-benefit analysis - it is giving the cheapest powerline to build while leaving out the economic impact to community and agriculture," Mr Richardson said.

"They are not considering the true value of the land as part of the project cost, which would turn this project on its head."

An AusNet spokesperson said farming could continue under the proposed transmission line.

"Last year engineers fast-tracked a study into land and machinery use along the line to provide certainty to landholders, who were understandably worried about continuing their operations," the spokesperson said.

"We worked closely with communities, including farmers, who already operate under the 6500km of existing transmission lines across Victoria.

"We want to help landholders continue farming with as little impact as possible, and we are having those discussions now about what they need to do that."

Concerns of farmers and the wider community were being investigated as part of the Environment Effects Statement (EES), ordered by the state government, and set for release later this year.

The EES will determine whether the project should proceed given its affect on agriculture, landscape, historic heritage, ecology and economic.

ESV communications head Johnathan Granger said AusNet was expected to complete its own safety risk, with the design meeting requirements under Australian Standard AS7000 Overhead Line Design.

"Our expectation is that the Electricity Safety Management Scheme (ESMS) submission will be supported by a safety risk assessment, confirming the proposed safety management system mitigates bushfire risk as far as practicable and is appropriate for the design (and construction, operation and maintenance) of the new line," Mr Granger said.

"ESV's assessment of the ESMS will occur independently of, but will be informed by, the EES process."