The route for VNI West has been narrowed to a preferred easement

The draft corridor for VNI West has been narrowed to a preferred easement of around 70 metres along most of the route.

A significant volume of work has been undertaken over the past two years to fully understand the previous draft corridor and identify a preferred easement that has the least impact to people and farming, balanced with consideration of the environment and other important land features.

TCV greatly appreciates the feedback and insights provided by many people in the project area. Local knowledge has been important to inform the location of the preferred easement, for example:

• Information on land affected by the 2022 floods.
• Information on several private airstrips which could potentially conflict with transmission infrastructure.
• Landholder advice on habitat for protected species.
• Areas of important nature conservation which would be compromised by vegetation clearance.
• Future development plans on large agricultural properties.

We are committed to continuing to work closely with communities and landholders through the regulatory Environment Effects Statement (EES) process over the next 12 months to refine and confirm the alignment.

A report providing more detail about the preferred easement and the process undertaken to refine the route is available at Reports | TCV website. You can also access our online map and watch TCV’s Preferred Easement video.

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Landholders in the route will continue to be the priority

Conversations with landholder are important to identify how we can minimise the impact to their farm operations, day-to-day movements, and plans for future improvements. We hope to work together in the next phase as we confirm the easement location and finalise the design for the project, including the location of infrastructure such as transmission towers.

Confirming these details will help us to not only minimise any impacts but allow us to start working together to determine what fair and reasonable compensation may look like for each landholder, considering the unique features of each property and potential impacts to ongoing operations and land-use.

Continued conversations with neighbours and community members will also be critical as we seek to address any concerns and gather important local knowledge for project impact assessments.

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VNI West will undergo rigorous studies and assessments in the next 12 months

A key objective of ongoing assessments and investigations into the preferred easement as part of the EES process is to identify a final alignment which will minimise impacts to people, businesses, the environment and farming activity as far as possible.

As VNI West advances through the EES process we will continue to actively engage with local communities, stakeholders, Traditional Owners and landholders impacted by the project.

We will provide information about the assessments underway, and opportunities for the community and landholders to inform studies. A range of environmental and social impact studies will be carried out including assessment of agricultural impacts, bushfire risk, visual impact and local economic benefits.

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EES consultation opens soon

Draft scoping requirements outlining the matters to be investigated as part of the EES have been developed by the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) in consultation with TCV and the Technical Reference Group (TRG).

The draft scoping requirements will soon be exhibited for public comment. Members of the community will be able to provide feedback to DTP on the draft scoping requirements through the government website Engage Victoria for a period of 15 business days.

We will provide more detail on this process and how to get involved once the timing is confirmed. All submissions received will be reviewed by DTP and considered as part of the process to finalise the EES scoping requirements.

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Come and meet with the TCV team to discuss the EES and route refinement process

We will be hosting a series of information sessions in November to meet with community members and landholders to provide information on the studies underway and answer any questions about the route refinement process. We will have technical specialists available to discuss a range of topics, including agriculture, compensation, environmental matters and community benefits.

• Tuesday, 12 November – Charlton Park Complex
• Wednesday, 13 November – Kerang Memorial Hall
• Thursday, 14 November – Stawell Entertainment Centre

These sessions will be one of many opportunities to engage with the project as it progresses. We understand how important it is to make sure we are consistently available and accessible to communities.

We’re here and we’re listening - in the near future, you’ll see our team on a more regular basis at 'pop-ups' in a nearby town. We will provide details of these sessions as they are confirmed through local papers and newsletters, our website and social media.

Please reach out through the contact details below if you have any questions or would like to learn more about the project.

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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

Kerang Office: Shop 15, 47 Victoria Street, Patchell Plaza, Kerang.
Open 12pm to 4:30pm on Tuesdays and 9am to 1pm on Wednesdays.