The preferred easement for the 240-kilometre Victorian section of the Victoria to New South Wales Interconnector West transmission line project has been released by Transmission Company Victoria.
Transmission Company Victoria (TCV) has published its preferred alignment for the Victoria to NSW Interconnector West (VNI West) project, a proposed 500 kV double-circuit overhead transmission line that would provide a second high-voltage link between the two states’ electricity grids.
Listed as an actionable project[2] in the Australian Energy Market Operator’s (AEMO) 2024 Integrated System Plan, the proposed new transmission infrastructure is to connect the Western Renewables Link in Victoria and Project Energy Connect[3] in NSW, enhancing renewable energy integration and ensuring reliable electricity supply as coal-fired power stations retire and energy demand continues to grow.
The newly published map[4] for the Victorian component[5] of the project shows a preferred easement of 70 m along most of the approximately 240 km route that stretches from Bulgana in central northwest Victoria to Tragowel, near Kerang in the state’s north. From here it crosses the Murray River into NSW where it will connect to the Transgrid[6] network near Dinawan.
TCV VNI West Program Director Tony Hedley said the release of the preferred easement aligns with the project’s commitment to prioritise communications with landholders with properties within the planned transmission route.
The Victorian component of the transmission line is set to cross about 250 private properties with the transmission towers expected to be 60 to 80 m in height, located 400 m apart.
“The release of the preferred easement provides more certainty for many people and means we can work directly with landholders in the easement to gain a comprehensive understanding of their land, farming operations and businesses,” Hedley said.
“These conversations are important to help design the project while minimising impact[7] to each property, and to ensure all landholders receive fair and reasonable compensation.”
TCV, established by AEMO’s Victorian planning arm to oversee planning and early work, said the process to refine the initial 50 km-wide area of interest, to a 2 km wide corridor, and now a 70 m wide preferred corridor has been shaped by 18 months of consultation with communities and individual landholders, along with field studies and technical and engineering assessments.
Hedley said TCV will continue to work closely with landholders, traditional owners and communities within the planned transmission corridor as project design continues, and the preferred easement is assessed and confirmed under a comprehensive Environment Effects Statement process over the next 12 months.
“We’ve spoken with more than 180 landholders within the preferred easement and already had more than 30 follow-up meetings to answer questions on topics such as compensation, land valuation, land access, options to minimise impacts to individual farms, and to discuss the next steps,” he said.
“We’ll continue to work with neighbours and landholders as we progress planning and design for the project over coming months.”
Construction of the VNI West project is scheduled to commence in 2026, pending all required state and Commonwealth approvals.
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References
- ^ Posts by David Carroll (www.pv-magazine-australia.com)
- ^ actionable project (www.pv-magazine-australia.com)
- ^ Project Energy Connect (www.pv-magazine-australia.com)
- ^ map (vniwest.mysocialpinpoint.com.au)
- ^ Victorian component (www.pv-magazine-australia.com)
- ^ Transgrid (www.pv-magazine-australia.com)
- ^ minimising impact (www.pv-magazine-australia.com)
- ^ editors@pv-magazine.com (www.pv-magazine-australia.com)