Victorian energy transmission projects concern local farmers

VNI West is a proposed $3.2-billion high capacity 500-kilovolt double-circuit overhead transmission line between Dinawan, NSW, through Kerang, to Mount Prospect.

Proponents, Transgrid and the Australian Energy Market Operator, said the 400 kilometres of double-circuit 500kV lines were set to deliver net market benefits of $687 million.

But Yandoit Hills resident and sustainable energy consultant Richard Johnston said there was still a great deal of secrecy surrounding the project.

"The traditional approach for big infrastructure items has been dubbed 'decide, announce and defend' - this is clearly the case for VNI West," Mr Johnston said.

He said he had been told the proposed VNI West route would run parallel to an existing 220kV line, installed in 1960.

But that would result in a 70-metre easement, which would have a direct impact on his house.

"They have done nothing to engage people along the route and say this is coming, that to me is very disappointing," he said.

"Despite all the protestations otherwise, they are locking in a decision before they are engaging with the community."

Yandoit dairy farmer Robert Morrison is one of only two left in the Hepburn Shire.

The sixth-generation farmer said he only found out about the VNI West project a few weeks ago.

"To have a transmission line like that cut through our place would be the end of us, there would be no working around it, we would be wiped out," he said.

He said people might say it didn't matter if Hepburn's last dairy farms were lost.

"But these small, satellite farms remaining in the landscape act a bit like a power battery that small communities could feed from, in the event supply chains grind to a halt," he said.

He said he was concerned about how the towers, some of which were 85 metres high, would cope with climate change-induced fires and severe wind storms.

"I am sure some smart person has made calculations to say this won't happen, but nobody can tell us what they are going to be subjected to into the future," he said.

An AEMO spokesperson said AEMO Victorian Planning and Transgrid were engaging with key stakeholders, including a range of councils, seeking input to help co-design the engagement program to make sure it was appropriate to the differing needs of communities.

"This early consultation to date has been open and constructive," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said if VNI West was confirmed through the regulatory process, and went ahead, the development of a project and the location of any proposed infrastructure would be determined through a rigorous route and site selection process.

There would also be extensive consultation with the community and landholders, including the Environment Effects Statement.

"We are still working through the economic and technical feasibility under the regulatory framework with stakeholders, which right now includes a suite of consultations on the Project Assessment Draft Report," the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Hepburn Shire Council is the latest group to question the siting of the Mount Prospect transmission station, while calling for the proposed electricity lines to be placed underground.

"The key thing there is where they want to put the transmission station, they want to stick it right in the middle of our best agricultural and potato farming land," Hepburn Shire Council deputy mayor Cr Jen Bray said.

She said the shire was a strong supporter of renewable energy but there was a need to look for alternatives to above-ground infrastructure where there would be a significant impact on farming, environment, landscape, tourism and community livelihoods and wellbeing.

AusNet's Western Renewables Link - a $300-million, 190km transmission line - will carry renewable energy from Stawell to Melbourne.

The company is currently carrying out an EES, expected to be released in early 2023.

Smeaton hay producer Will Elsworth helped set up the 'Piss Off AusNet' group.

Mr Elsworth said neither governments, AusNet or Transgrid had taken the needs of residents into account, particularly when it came to putting the lines underground.

"The companies say that's prohibitive - that's not the case if you work out the cost over 100 years," he said.

He believed the EES which AusNet was currently carrying out was "irrelevant".

"They will look into it, then still run over the people," he said.

He said AusNet was being denied access to properties and was trying to buy landowners out.

An AusNet spokesperson said an independent investigation into underground construction found overhead transmission was the most appropriate for the length of the project because it caused less ground disturbance compared with trenching.

"A larger disturbance footprint and less flexibility to avoid sensitive areas means undergrounding also has impacts to vegetation, biodiversity and agriculture and other land uses," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the report found overhead construction was more appropriate for electricity system availability and reliability, proven delivery over this distance and the ability to deliver more quickly and at less cost for Victorian electricity consumers.

Given the size of the project, the investigation found it would cost substantially more to put the transmission line underground.

AusNet continued to investigate partial undergrounding options as part of the EES.

The $3.5-billion Marinus Link is a proposed 1500-megawatt electricity and telecommunications line between Tasmania and Victoria.

Marinus Link Stakeholder Relations Land and Environment executive manager Benjamin White said the project was on track to reaching a final investment decision by late 2024.

It was currently in the design and approvals phase, necessary to finalise technical designs, environmental approvals, and landowner and community engagements before construction can begin.

The cables would be buried undersea and underground, entering Victoria at Waratah Bay and running to Hazelwood in the Latrobe Valley.

"Through the route selection process, analysis showed that underground HVDC (High Voltage Direct Current) cables, rather than overhead cable, is the preferred option for the Victorian section of Marinus Link," Mr White said.

"The use of overhead HVDC transmission lines was considered, however would require more expensive Voltage Source Converters, lightning protection schemes and wider easements."

He said the use of overhead and underground cabling was considered but as there were no planned direct connections of new electricity generation or storage into the Marinus Link interconnector through South Gippsland, it was deemed more economical and technically prudent to continue the HVDC cabling.

He said Marinus Link would continue to work with farmers and landowners to understand how they used their properties, to inform future conversations about land access, easements and compensation.