GANNAWARRA and Buloke Shires have backed away from supporting the controversial VNI West renewable energy transmission line and a landowner wants Loddon Shire to be the next.
Tyler Nelson is campaigning against renewable energy projects on prime agricultural land north of Boort.
“It would be good to see Loddon do the same thing,” Mr Nelson said after the adjoining councils voted last week against VNI West in “its current form”.
Their decisions follow a shattering of a five-council alliance that saw the withdrawal of Northern Grampians and Yarriambiak Shires.
Loddon Mayor Dan Straub would not be drawn on council’s position last week. He has met with Loddon landowners along the VNI West route.
Buloke said: “Recent engagement with the Buloke community has revealed strong and widespread opposition to the VNI West transmission project in its current form. While some individuals are directly affected by the proposed alignment, many others have voiced concern about broader issues including land use, farmland protection, consultation processes, and the cumulative impact of transmission infrastructure on rural communities.
“This opposition reflects the dissatisfaction with the engagement and planning process to date, as well as a lack of confidence that the project will deliver fair and lasting outcomes for the Buloke community, farmers, landholders and the environment.”
Gannawarra said its opposition was based on “the costs associated with the project outweigh the benefits to the community”.
Mayor Garner Smith said that for VNI West to achieve social licence, the following areas must be addressed to the satisfaction of council:
Improved consultative process and compensation to landholders impacted by VNI West, both directly and neighbouring;
Electricity produced from renewables along VNI West must be available to be retailed within shires hosting renewable projects at the feed in tariff, without transmission costs; and
Any housing projects must have long term benefits. Either through permanent housing being built, or, if temporary housing is built, residual trunk infrastructure and planning permissions for new housing developments will remain once the temporary housing is removed.
According to Mr Nelson, the rollout of VNI West has been “a schmozzle from the start” with route changes and lack of landowner consultation.
He said there were similarities with the draft Victorian Transmission Plan that “coincidentally has renewable energy zones matching existing development proposals”.
Mr Nelson said the plan spoke of protecting prime agricultural land and the environment but Lake Meran, Leaghur State Forest, and the lake network north and south of Lake Meran had not been included on the north-west zone map.
Prairie West’s Donald McGauchie last week said the draft plan was contradictory on use of prime farm land for renewable projects.
The area north of Boort has been eyed by two wind turbine companies - Meering West and Acciona Energia. Under their proposals, there would be wind farms with 2.3km of Lake Meran and Leaghur
Mr Nelson said multi-national firms were being allowed to drive renewable energy projects in Victoria. “They don’t have Victoria’s best interests at heart.”
Meanwhile, an Australian Energy Market Operator report last week said the cost of new transmission line projects had soared up to 55 per cent in the past two years. It said major cost driver had been materials, workers and social licence, as transmission companies provide additional community and landholder engagement along proposed transmission line routes.