The immediate need to roll out thousands of kilometres of new powerlines across the country to meet renewable energy targets continues to spark tension between the city and country.
Australia's energy market boss Daniel Westerman says the upset caused in some country communities has been framed as David versus Goliath.
"As you can imagine, this has occupied quite a lot of my thinking recently," Australian Energy Market Operator chief executive Mr Westerman said in a major speech in Melbourne today.
"... it increasingly seems to me that this situation has been framed in fairly oppositional terms: city versus country; business versus community, infrastructure versus agriculture", he said.
"I think that some early, enthusiastic, and well-meaning actions to get the ball rolling on transmission projects may have unintentionally shaped these false dichotomies."
Victorian farmers have been the most strident, claiming they have been ignored as governments fast track development of the controversial power transmission network
The race to net zero emission targets has failed to properly consider rural landowners and country communities, they claim.
By one estimate, almost 28,000km of new transmission lines will be needed to meet those targets, often criss-crossing valuable farm land.
The farmers took their protest to Canberra last week and have won National Party support for their protest.
Governments are under pressure to upgrade the networks or risk missing out on renewable projects while coal-fired stations are closed.
Mr Westerman said country regions have traits of city living.
"Similarly, there are country elements in city life: vegie gardens, beekeepers, famers' markets, water tanks, earth moving businesses, quarries ... all manner of things ... even dare I say it ... overhead transmission lines passing through some pretty swanky suburbs," he said.
"There isn't a hard border between city and country ... it's a gradual transition.
"And so it is with the energy transition.
"We are all in this together."
He said finding the middle ground depended on doing away with the "us versus them" argument.
Mr Westerman said communities being asked to host transmission lines do stand to benefit from stronger and more reliable energy supplies.
"I know how important it is to have a reliable source of electricity to run a farm or a country supermarket."
He said new infrastructure also brings new opportunities, whether that's for upgraded internet and mobile coverage, lights for the local footy ground or any number of other improvements.
He said urban and country households will be able to run on more affordable, cleaner energy generated hundreds of kilometres away, or even interstate, by the sun, wind, water and storage.
"It requires diligent, honest work to build the social licence with our communities."
Mr Westerman said communities expect the energy industry to be open with them with no hidden agendas, to explain clearly the situation, not hide behind obscure technical language, to listen, to respond thoughtfully and meaningfully, and to fairly compensate those affected.
"Land owners in these communities that host transmission towers should be fairly compensated."
The Victorian government is offering farmers and other rural property owners $8000 per year per kilometre of transmission lines hosted for 25 years, or $200,000.
NSW farmers will get $10,000 per year over 20 years for each kilometre of line they have to host although the total is still the same.
The Queensland government has offered an average $300,000 per kilometre, and compensation for nearby neighbours as well.
But farmers in Canberra last week said the issue was not about compensation but the lack of consultation.
Mr Westerman said the existing transmission network was laid out 70 years ago to connect the big, powerful coal generators mainly in the Latrobe and Hunter valleys to the cities.
"But the new solar and wind farms which are our cheapest form of new build energy, are located in the places where the sun shines brightest, and the wind blows most consistently."
"For Australia, new transmission is essential to connect new areas of renewable generation and energy storage with where the energy will be consumed.
"But clearly these developments would impact some communities."
AEMO's commitment to communities is that we will be open, communicative and fair, he said.
Meanwhile, AEMO's Victorian offshoot, Transmission Company Victoria, will visit Boort on July 3 to provide more information on the VNI West transmission project.
Community sessions are being held in Boort, Kerang, Charlton, Navarre and St Arnaud.
TCV is refining the 5 to 50 kilometre-wide area of interest to a 500m to 1km corridor in the next couple of months and is aiming to identify the final easement for the project in 2025, ahead of construction commencing in 2026.
Chris McLennan
ACM national rural property writer based in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria. Career journalist. Multi award winner.
ACM national rural property writer based in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria. Career journalist. Multi award winner.
