Agriculture
26 May, 2023
Saturday evening announcement of AEMO route
JUST over 24 hours after Australian Energy Market Operator pulled an VNI West Option 5a map it said had been inadvertently publkished onits website, the third change of route in less than 12 months has been confirmed in an announcement made just...
JUST over 24 hours after Australian Energy Market Operator pulled an VNI West Option 5a map it said had been inadvertently publkished onits website, the third change of route in less than 12 months has been confirmed in an announcement made just after 5.30pm today, Saturday.
AEMO now proposes a transmission line that could could run anywhere up to 30km either side of Boort.
The report just released says: "This PACR finds that the preferred option is a 500 kilovolt (kV) double-circuit overhead transmission line between Victoria and New South Wales, connecting Western Renewables Link (WRL) (at Bulgana) with EnergyConnect (at Dinawan) via a new terminal station near Kerang, and crossing the Murray River north of Kerang – ‘Option 5A’."
The announcement does not mention consultation with landholders in the area of identified interest for the first time.
Instead AEMO says it will refine the area of interest into a narrow corridor by July and then to an indicativeroute by the end of the year. Stakeholders are encouraged to share their local knowledge via an interactivemap on the Transmission Company Victoria1(TCV) website to help inform the route selection process.
"Community Reference Groups will be established as a forum for community representatives to work with the project team to help improve understanding of local issues and opportunities as TCV works to refine theproject corridor and consider other matters through development and delivery.For those landholders potentially within the corridor, TCV will assign a landholder liaison."
In a statement, AEMO said:
Today, prior to publication of the PACR, the Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources announced a Ministerial Order under the National Electricity (Victoria) Act 2005 to identify the preferred option for theVictorian part of VNI West and progress work to identify a final route through consultation with landowners, traditional owners and community stakeholders.
AVP Group Manager Nicola Falcon said that significant consultation and stakeholder feedback hadcontributed to the proposed option that maximises benefits to electricity consumers and unlocks Victoria’srenewable energy potential.
The 5 to 50 kilometre-wide area of interest was developed using valuable information from landholders andcommunity members, along with extensive engineering and environmental assessments, including ecology,cultural heritage, landscape and visual amenity, agricultural activities and proximity to settlements.
The State Government earlier said:
The Victorian Government is accelerating key electricity transmission projects to secure an affordable and reliable supply of renewable energy for homes and businesses across Victoria.
Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio today confirmed that the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) can progress the critical VNI-West project, which will better connect the Victoria and NSW energy grids.
VNI West is a 500kV transmission line that will connect the Victorian and NSW grids, ensuring reliable electricity access during high demand periods, and allowing for around 3.4 gigawatts of additional renewable generation to be built across the solar-rich Murray River Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) and wind-rich Western Victoria REZ.
A Ministerial Order has been implemented to progress AEMO’s preferred option, which connects VNI West to the planned Western Renewables Link (WRL) at a terminal station at Bulgana in Victoria’s west, then linking to a terminal station near Kerang in north central Victoria, before crossing the Murray River north of Kerang.
VNI West still requires relevant planning and environmental approvals, which will provide more opportunities for community members and Traditional Owners to share their views on the project.
AEMO will continue ongoing consultation as it works to refine the route, with community input will play a crucial role in helping design a route that minimises impacts on the landholders, the environment and farming operations.
Acknowledging the important role the community plays in hosting transmission infrastructure, landholders will be entitled to payments $8,000 per year per kilometre of transmission hosted for 25 years. These payments are in addition to existing arrangements for compensation, which cover any loss of land value.
Once a preferred corridor for VNI West is identified, AEMO will allocate landowners potentially hosting transmission lines a Land Liaison Officer – and will work directly with landowners to minimise impacts to their land, including interruptions to normal farming activities.
MORE REPORTS TO COME