AEMO to explore terminal station locations for VNI West

The Victoria - New South Wales Interconnector, or VNI West's, draft report was published at the end of July.

The transmission line was planned to join AusNet's Western Renewables Link at a proposed terminal station north of Ballarat.

AEMO have now said they are investigating other alternatives further west.

This would include "areas around Bulgana and Waubra/Lexton".

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A Pyrenees Shire Council resident asked the council if they were aware of the changes and if they were concerned about two potential transmission lines passing through the shire.

Chief executive Jim Nolan responded to the question at the council meeting on Tuesday night and told the community the council has been in discussions with AEMO since they found out about the change at the end of November.

"Council have immediately expressed concern and these concerns have been responded to by AEMO," Mr Nolan said.

"Councils intend to ensure there is transparency in respect of information sharing to the community about the project."

Representatives from AEMO and AusNet attended the council meeting to explain about the changes further.

Because it was a public submission, debate or discussion was not allowed, but councillors could ask clarifying questions.

AEMO's Victorian planning group manager Nicola Falcon said at the meeting no specific locations had been decided but they were considering three options.

The first would be to keep the terminal station at the proposed site and potentially upgrade the line to be 500 kilovolts the whole way.

The second would be to put the terminal station in the Waubra/Lexton area and potentially upgrade the line to be all 500 kvs, or to connect the New South Wales line directly into a terminal station in Bulgana, near Ararat.

Ms Falcon said technical, economic, social, and environmental impacts are being considered.

"As part of this reassessment we will be consulting with communities, local governments and traditional owners in the area," she said.

The change of this transmission line could affect the Western Renewables Link.

AusNet executive project sponsor Jeff Rigby also attended the council meeting and said if AEMO decides to change the location of the terminal site most of the renewables link route would remain "with a deviation in the Waubra/Lexton areas".

He said they were reaching out to landowners.