Angus Taylor leads call to put transmission lines underground on HumeLink

Transmission lines that will cut through parts of country NSW for the HumeLink should be undergound with locals furious Transgrid have opted for cheaper, overhead lines.

Former federal energy minister Angus Taylor has led a call for the underground option for HumeLink to be “further investigated”, saying concerns about the “visual aesthetics” and impact on property values from 360km of overhead transmission lines were “legitimate”.

The state government recently indicated Transgrid’s plans to build the transmission lines needed to connect renewable energy zones would go overhead after the transmission operator declared the $3.3 billion HumeLink project would cost $11.5 billion if it had to put the lines under ground.

While is is a federal project, the NSW government convened an upper house inquiry into the proposal earlier this year with the subsequent report finding putting them underground would be too costly.However, criticism of the ‘government-dominated’ inquiry prompted Coalition, Greens and Crossbench MLCs to convene a second inquiry to re-examine the issue which will begin next week.

Under the plan, private landholders whose properties will have the new high voltage lines go through them will be paid a set rate of $200,000 per km of transmission “hosted”.

However, Mr Taylor, whose electorate of Hume will encompass a significant portion of the lines, has written to a NSW Upper House inquiry investigating the project to say local landholders had expressed “legitimate concerns” about the impact of the project.

Locals want Transgrid transmission lions on the HumeLink to be underground.

Mr Taylor urged for more work to be done on an underground option: “The challenges posed by this project are substantial and must be carefully considered by Transgrid and more broadly by the NSW Government.”

The challenges encompassed environmental, agricultural, and regional community impacts across a wide range of proposed renewable energy projects, he said.

Angus Taylor wants the underground option to be further investigated. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Liberal MP Wendy Tuckerman – whose electorate of Goulburn will also be seriously affected – also slammed the overhead option, declaring the “archaic” overhead infrastructure “spiderwebbing the country” would deter tourists and destroy a natural landscape.

“Transgrid, a foreign-owned company, should not be the determiner of the future of transmission infrastructure as we transition to renewables,” Ms Tuckerman said.

“Late last year, the NSW Government fronted the media at Barangaroo to announce the enforcement of the height limit of 35m on a new residential tower, to ensure Sydney was liveable, workable and beautiful for now and future generations. At the same time the regions face the irony that this is exactly what the HumeLink project will be taking from the regions – our liveable, workable and beautiful environment.”

The Australian Energy Market Operator has said HumeLink, which will connect Snowy 2.0 and also open up access to wind and solar farms in SA, needs to be online by July 2026 at the latest.

The Upper House inquiry’s first hearing is scheduled for November 27.

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Originally published as Angus Taylor leads call to put transmission lines underground on HumeLink