Politics & Council
2 July, 2023
NSW probes underground lines
THE New South Wales Parliament will spend six weeks investigating options to put rewewable energy transmission lines underground. The inquiry by its standing committee on state development was confirmed last Thursday. Calls have been made across...
THE New South Wales Parliament will spend six weeks investigating options to put rewewable energy transmission lines underground.
The inquiry by its standing committee on state development was confirmed last Thursday.
Calls have been made across Victorian communities and by farmer organisations, including in the Loddon, for VNI West and Western Renewable Link transmission lines to be sent underground.
However, these have been rejected as too costly by the State Government and its energy agencies.
The NSW committee will look at the costs and benefits of undergrounding, existing case studies and current projects regarding similar undergrounding of transmission lines in both domestic and international contexts, any impact on delivery timeframes of undergrounding, and any environmental impacts of undergrounding.
Committee chair Emily Suvaal said ‘This inquiry will allow us to hear community concerns regarding overhead transmission lines and understand the benefits and cost of putting that infrastructure underground.
“Given the billions of dollars being invested in renewing the NSW energy grid, it is important to get this right. The committee looks forward to engaging with local stakeholders and energy experts to examine what will work best.”