VNI West maps: hundreds of NSW and Victorian landholders affected

AEMO has been granted monopoly powers over the early rollout of the controversial VNI West project, cutting up the land of hundreds of non-consulted landholders.

Old Option 5 route versus new final Option 5A route

Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio has granted the Australian Energy Market Operator monopoly powers over the early rollout work of the controversial VNI West project that extends the route to encompass hundreds of landholders who were not consulted on the 500kV line that will carve up their land.

The new Option 5A route pivots away from its original path to Echuca, heading northwest instead through Charlton and the Boort irrigation district to skirt around Kerang and hit the Murray River downstream of Barmah.

The new Option 5A route swings away from the original Option 5 path.

A swath of other NSW landholders will also be affected, after AEMO redirected the route to the Dinawan substation, south of Coleambally, further west to cross the Murray River downstream of Barmah.

VNI West routes – New Option 5A route mauve, Old route pale orange.

AEMO quietly released its VNI West Project Assessment Conclusions Report on Saturday, while at the same time Minister D’Ambrosio signed a government gazette signing off on the project.

ASIC records show the majority government-owned AEMO has established a new subsidiary, Transmission Company Victoria, with AEMO executives Daniel Westerman and Merryn York as directors.

AEMO’s website states the “Transmission Company Victoria has been established to undertake early works in Victoria, including community, landholder and Traditional Owner consultations and ongoing investigations into the corridor and ultimate route”.

The PACR is the final step in the regulatory process, leaving landholders with properties along the new Option 5A route with no option to lodge submissions to any further consultation process.

Moorabool and Central Highlands Power Alliance advocate Vicki Johnson said AEMO’s approach to the project was appalling.

“AEMO have settled on what they call Option 5A – which now fully envelopes Charlton and Boort and extends into the Gannawarra Shire – pretty well half of the Option 5 area of interest has been moved to cover a different area”.

“So, now many, many different people will be potentially impacted without having been part of the consultation process at all.”

Major flaws have already been exposed in the business case justifying construction of a $3.282 billion power transmission line that will carve its way through 400km of farmland in northwest Victoria and the NSW Riverina.

One of the projects most vocal critics, electrical engineer Simon Barlett said AEMO’s final report “ignored virtually everything in all our submissions, other than increasing the Victorian line costs by around 20 per cent, noting they were at least 40 per cent understated.

“The Option 5A changes most of the VNI West route on the NSW side and increases the length of line by an estimated 47km, but the PACR only allows 19kms (that’s an extra $129m).”

Professor Bartlett said AEMO also “have fudged up the Murray River renewable energy zone hosting capacity from 850MW to 1580MW”.

The Weekly Times is awaiting responses from AEMO on the undertaking of early works.
Ms D’Ambrosio’s gazettal notice stated the costs of that work “will be apportioned to customers in accordance with the existing rules”.

“These costs are expected to add a small amount to typical household electricity bills over the 40-year life of the asset, which are expected be significantly outweighed by the savings expected from the downward pressure on wholesale prices from implementation of AEMO’s recommended Option 5A”.

Ms D’Ambrosio’s order justifies the decision to fast-track the VNI West project on “the increasing threats to the reliability, safety and security of the national electricity system”.