Western Victoria Transmission Network Project: Moorabool Shire Council launches campaign for underground high-voltage powerlines

The video is part of a broader campaign, Green and Unseen, pushing the proponent to change course on the project, which will see about 190 kilometres of new powerlines linking Bulgana, near Ararat, to a new terminal station near Ballarat, and then linking that new terminal station to Sydenham.

The stretch through Moorabool Shire will involve 85 metre tall high voltage powerlines.

READ MORE: State government confirms Environmental Effects Statement required

The project is needed to unlock grid capacity as new renewable energy sources come online.

AusNet Services, which was tendered to deliver the project through its Mondo commercial arm, has consistently said it has not yet decided on an exact route for the powerline - it has released an area of interest and has called for residents and experts to have their say on where the powerline should be built.

There is also no word on when a determination will be made.

Moorabool Shire Council has repeatedly echoed resident's concerns about the lack of communication from the company, which was affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Moorabool mayor David Edwards said in a statement the project would stretch across the entire shire.

"We're proud to produce renewable energy though our windfarms to power more than 300,000 home but putting the powerlines overhead is not green and is actually dangerous to Moorabool residents- hence our Green and Unseen campaign," he said.

"There is extreme fire risk to many areas along the proposed transmission lines route. If a fire was to break out, the transmission lines could inhibit fire fighting efforts. And if a tower was to fall, people in our towns could be trapped."

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"The only sustainable, long-term solution - one that council and our community are advocating for - is to put these powerlines underground."

Council has recently made a submission to Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley responding to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation's Act referral for the overhead powerlines.

"We noted in the submission that we don't object to the importance of the significant renewable energy infrastructure project, but a balance must be sought between providing the energy to Melbourne, and impacting on Moorabool's community and natural assets, as well as the fire risk and farming implications," Cr Edwards added.

CLICK BELOW TO SEE THE AREA OF INTEREST INTERACTIVE MAP:

The state government, which is not in charge of the project, has requested an Environmental Effects Statement, which will examine how the project interacts with the environment and potentially other options including building underground.

In a media response, AusNet said the project would cost electricity consumers "multiple times more" if it was built underground, and would have greater environmental and cultural heritage effects.

"Undergrounding would require deep wide trenches. Excavation of two parallel trenches, three metres apart; each trench approximately 1.8m deep and 2.4m wide along the route, and cable joint pits (to connect the sections of cable) of approximately 6m by 12m about every 550m," they said.

"It would also be more disruptive to farmers during construction, requiring a construction zone with a width of approximately 20m for the cable trenches. Underground lines would mean no option for slight variations to accommodate land owners and their land use."

The company also defended itself against the accusation the powerlines would cause bushfires and potentially trap isolated residents.

"Our transmission line easements are managed to protect the assets from fire. Easements are wide enough so that if a tall tree outside the easement were to fall, it wouldn't be able to reach the towers or the lines, and we have a rigorous regulatory vegetation management program eliminating vegetation fuel loads in our easements," the spokesperson said.

"We also have state of the art protection settings that can detect faults and shut the power off in milliseconds.

"We actively monitor fires from our control room and work closely with Emergency Management Victoria who would advise us to turn the power off for safety reasons if needed in an emergency.

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"Transmission easements are regularly patrolled and maintained, and can themselves offer important protections by acting as firebreaks. We strongly encourage anyone with these concerns to reach out directly to the project team so that we can work through the challenges faced in their local area."

The company also reiterated calls for community members, or anyone else with concerns, to reach out online through the website or to phone 9021 0674.

More information about the project, including the interactive map, can be found online.

READ THE FULL STATEMENT FROM AUSNET BELOW

We're working closely with the Moorabool Shire to address these very important concerns. We would like to offer the community reassurance that in its 96 year history the Transmission Network in Victoria has never been the cause of a bushfire (note - the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission found transmission networks have never started a bushfire. The state government recently allocated $7 million to improve bushfire safety distribution assets, which are separate). Our transmission line easements are managed to protect the assets from fire. Easements are wide enough to so that if a tall tree outside the easement were to fall it wouldn't be able to reach the towers or the lines and we have a rigorous regulatory vegetation management program eliminating vegetation fuel loads in our easements. We also have state of the art protection settings that can detect faults and shut the power off in milliseconds.

We actively monitor fires from our control room and work closely with Emergency Management Victoria who would advise us to turn the power off for safety reasons if needed in an emergency. Transmission easements are regularly patrolled and maintained and can themselves offer important protections by acting as firebreaks. We strongly encourage anyone with these concerns to reach out directly to the project team so that we can work through the challenges faced in their local area.

Underground lines would have greater impacts to the environment and to cultural heritage sites. Undergrounding would require deep wide trenches. Excavation of two parallel trenches, 3m apart; each trench approximately 1.8m deep and 2.4m wide along the route and cable joint pits (to connect the sections of cable) of approximately 6m by 12m about every 550m. It would also be more disruptive to farmers during construction requiring a construction zone with a width of approximately 20m for the cable trenches. Underground lines would mean no option for slight variations to accommodate land owners and their land use. The cost of undergrounding these lines is expected to be multiple times more than the ordinary cost which would be passed on to Victorian energy users.

We will continue to engage with the communities in and around the Area of Interest to address any concerns that they may have. The community is encouraged to call us directly via our hotline on 9021 0674 or visit our website. The EES process provides for a transparent, integrated assessment of potential environmental impacts. There will be opportunities for ongoing community consultation during the EES process.