Victorian farmers slam energy operator AEMO over ‘dirty tactics’

Victorian farmers say Australia’s energy operator is using “dirty tactics” to force them to sign over access to their land to make way for new transmission lines.

The AEMO has been told to update the information it’s issuing to farmers in the path of a 400km power line project that will run across hundreds of farms in Victoria’s west. Picture: Zoe Phillips

Victorian farmers are accusing Australia’s energy operator of using “dirty tactics” to force them to sign over access to their land to make way for new transmission lines.

The Australian Energy Market Operator has been told to update the information it is issuing to farmers in the path of a 400km power line project that will run across hundreds of farms in Victoria’s west.

The information package offered $10,000 for farmers to sign over land access rights and warned that the alternative was workers forcibly coming on to private land – a power the operator does not yet have.

Many landowners have complained, prompting the Essential Services Commission to direct AEMO to correct its information.

Victorian Farmers Federation president Emma Germano criticised the move by the energy operator, which is acting on behalf of the Victorian government.

“The dirty tactics used by AEMO to try to coerce farmers into signing away their rights is shameful and is yet another example of the way they have acted in bad faith with farming communities,” Ms Germano said.

“If the Victorian government continues to allow for this sort of behaviour from AEMO, farmers won’t cooperate and there is no way that Victoria would be able to meet its renewable energy targets and keep the lights on.”

Victorian Farmers Federation president Emma Germano has criticised the move by the energy operator, which is acting on behalf of the Victorian government.

Under the legislation, certain power companies can enter properties to carry out work, but the companies must have a licence to do so.

AEMO has been directed to update its Landholder Guide to make it clear that its shell company Transmission Company Victoria (TCV) does not yet have access rights.

A spokesman for the commission said: “The ESC is aware of concerns about information provided by Transmission Company Victoria, which may have led to ... local farmers, having incorrect impressions in relation to the land access rights”.

He said it was important that landowners be given clear information on matters that affect them.

Nicola Falcon of TCV said access was crucial to find the best path for the power lines.

“New transmission built in the right places will play an important role in keeping the lights on for all Victorians,” she said. “The right place for VNI West needs to be based both on the information we get from the community, and the needs of electricity customers across Victoria.

“We will be talking to farmers to help work out where the project will be built and how farming and transmission can exist side-by-side.”

The VNI West project will build a 500kV transmission line from NSW to Victoria but so far has divided the public.

Farmers have held rallies to raise awareness of the $3.8bn projects’ effect on farming.

Farmer Gerald Feeny said farmers were unhappy with the speed of the project.

“It’s just the process has been rolling on so rapidly,” he said.

“We had no idea this was coming. You’d honestly think if you were doing a major infrastructure project that’s worth billions of dollars, you would have had the landholders and even the municipalities on board on the very first day.”

Others are welcoming the project, which could lead to hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation for some landholders.