In this edition we provide an update on recent and upcoming engagement opportunities, field surveys and the Community Reference Group.

Landholder and community roundtables

Over the past two months, TCV responded to landholder requests for additional information by facilitating local meetings to listen to concerns and answer questions. Small group discussions were held in Tragowel, Glenloth East and Murrabit, providing a valuable opportunity for TCV to hear directly from landholders and the community to better understand their concerns.

Attendees received updates on local issues including planned field surveys and the proposed Tragowel terminal station. TCV responded to questions regarding the landholder engagement process and work underway to refine the draft corridor and find the best route for the new transmission lines, including consideration of alternate approaches.

An overview of the issues discussed at a community meeting in Tragowel on 27 February is available on the TCV website here.

April community drop-in sessions

TCV is hosting a series of informal drop-in sessions in April to provide local communities with information on key topics of interest including the VNI West planning and approvals process, route refinement, landholder compensation and next steps for the project. The project team will be joined at each event by specialists in areas including compensation, agriculture, environment and technical matters related to VNI West.

The events will not be in a ‘town hall’ format and won’t include formal presentations; instead, the format will allow community members and landholders to drop in at a convenient time to speak to the team and ask questions in a relaxed environment.

Environmental field surveys underway

Field surveys will continue in the coming months, including ecological and geological studies. These will largely occur on public land, following consultation with relevant authorities such as DEECA, local councils and VicRoads.

Geotechnical surveys began in mid-March to determine geological conditions across the ~2km VNI West draft corridor. The results of these surveys will help to inform the ongoing planning and approvals process for the project, including work underway to refine the draft corridor to a preferred easement around 100m wide by the third quarter of 2024.

Community Reference Group update

The VNI West CRG met for the third time on Wednesday, 14 February in Charlton. Twelve members attended, with seven apologies.

The meeting included updates on the Environmental Effects Statement (EES) process, the purchase of land for the proposed Tragowel Terminal Station and discussions on compensation and community benefit sharing policy considerations.

CRG Chairperson David Hale (from Bendigo-based RM Consulting Group) said, “as always, I’m very grateful to community members making the effort to come along to discuss the project and share their communities’ concerns, especially with many dealing with the effects of storm and fires. We need to continue making progress on the issues like fighting fires around transmission lines and insurance implications, and I’ve spoken with representatives who will be able to brief CRG members on those topics in the coming months.”

The minutes for the February meeting will be endorsed by the CRG at its next meeting. Minutes from previous CRG meetings and the Chairperson’s summary from the most recent meeting are available on the TCV website.

New transmission lines and extreme weather events

Severe weather events in February raised questions about the resilience of overhead transmission towers such as those planned for VNI West. Six transmission towers near Geelong sustained damage from destructive wind gusts associated with a thunderstorm, with speeds exceeding 122 km/h.

We would like to reassure landholders and the community that the infrastructure planned for VNI West would be built to withstand the force of similar storms in the future, in line with the latest Australian Standards.

The design and specifications of VNI West assets will factor in location-specific conditions, including maximum anticipated wind speeds, to minimise the risk of failure even in extreme circumstances throughout the asset's life.

The operation, monitoring and maintenance of transmission infrastructure is highly regulated. The VNI West transmission line owner and operator will oversee tower maintenance activities including corrosion monitoring, routine maintenance, inspections and vegetation clearance.

New transmission lines and extreme weather events

Severe weather events in February raised questions about the resilience of overhead transmission towers such as those planned for VNI West. Six transmission towers near Geelong sustained damage from destructive wind gusts associated with a thunderstorm, with speeds exceeding 122 km/h.

We would like to reassure landholders and the community that the infrastructure planned for VNI West would be built to withstand the force of similar storms in the future, in line with the latest Australian Standards.

The design and specifications of VNI West assets will factor in location-specific conditions, including maximum anticipated wind speeds, to minimise the risk of failure even in extreme circumstances throughout the asset's life.

The operation, monitoring and maintenance of transmission infrastructure is highly regulated. The VNI West transmission line owner and operator will oversee tower maintenance activities including corrosion monitoring, routine maintenance, inspections and vegetation clearance.

Plan B review report released

In August 2023, VicGrid advised that it would undertake an independent assessment of the ‘Plan B Report’ prepared by the Victorian Energy Policy Centre. The subsequent evaluation by Jacobs Group Australia found that VNI West meets Victorian energy objectives, and did not support the Plan B Report’s assessment and suggested replacement of VNI West with the alternative Plan B configuration.

The summary of the independent report is available on the VicGrid website energy.vic.gov.au.

AEMO’s statement published in response to Plan B in August 2023 can be found at AEMO.com.au/newsroom.

Get in touch

If you have a question you would like to ask, please get in contact through the details below.

Email: enquiries@transmissionvictoria.com.au

Phone: 1800 824 221

Website: transmissionvictoria.com.au