Agriculture
29 September, 2023
VNI West corridor release: Another deadline missed
AUSTRALIAN Energy Market Operator has missed its own deadline to release the VNI West corridor map for a second time. The refined 1km corridor was originally to have been released in August before it was pushed into September. However, sources have...
AUSTRALIAN Energy Market Operator has missed its own deadline to release the VNI West corridor map for a second time.
The refined 1km corridor was originally to have been released in August before it was pushed into September.
However, sources have told the Loddon Herald release is now likely to be next week, days before the start of latest community engagement on the controversial project.
A spokesperson for Transmission Company Victoria, AEMO’s Victorian project arm, on Monday said the plan was to release the draft corridor for VNI West “ahead of the first community meeting on Tuesday October 10”.
The TCV spokesperson said: “The public meetings in Charlton, St Arnaud, Boort, Stawell and Kerang are an opportunity for landholders and community members to ask questions about the draft corridor or the route refinement process.
“We have consistently said that we would publish the draft corridor once every effort had been made to contact all the landholders across this area,” the spokesperson said.
“Our land team has been calling and meeting with landholders since mid-August and we are pleased with the progress so far.”
TCV earlier this month said it was attempting to contact an estimated 350 landholders.
Members of a community reference group appointed by AEMO first met a fortnight ago.
Names of the 13 members who will take community comments and concerns to project managers are still to be released.
Boort’s community engagement session, one of five, is on October 12.