Victorian farms under threat as VNI West powerline route revealed

The route for a controversial high-voltage transmission line, cutting through hundreds of farms in western Victoria, can finally be revealed after months of secrecy. See the map.

The VNI West easement passes through 78 private properties in the Northern Grampains shire. Picture: Zoe Phillips

The route for a controversial high-voltage transmission line, cutting through hundreds of farms in western Victoria, can finally be revealed after months of secrecy.

Documents seen by The Weekly Times show the 240km Victorian stretch of Transmission Company Victoria’s 500kV VNI West powerline will traverse through about 250 farms and other private properties (detailed maps below).

Until now the route of the 70m-wide easement has been kept confidential, with TCV only revealing details of the impact on individual landholders.

The Weekly Times understands the route will be formally unveiled tomorrow.

TCV maps seen by The Weekly Times show the entire route which crosses the Murray River at Murrabit, travels south past Kerang and Charlton, before reaching Bulgana, where it connects to the Western Renewables Link.

The easement passes through 78 private properties in the Northern Grampians shire, plus another 54 in Buloke, nine in Loddon and an unknown number in Gannawarra shires.

Western Victorian landholders have vowed to continue their campaign against the project and stop any TCV employees entering their land.

TCV is in the middle of applying to Victoria’s Essential Services Commission for a transmission license, which will grant it powers under section 93 of the Electricity Industry Act 2000 to force its way onto properties and compulsorily acquire easements.

Sutherland farmer Barry Batters, who faces having four 80m transmission line towers built across 3km of his property, said “everyone is going to stand at the gate and say ‘no’,” to TCV.

Mr Batters said “99 per cent of the landholders from Bulgana to 10km north of Wooroonook” were ready to join forces to block TCV’s access. “We’ll make it hard for them,” he said.

Sutherland farmer Barry Batters says “it’s a joke” that the government will rake in $177,000/km in easement taxes while farmers were offered $8000/km. Picture: Zoe Phillips

Kanya farmer Ben Duxson, whose property TCV intends to carve up with 1.5kms of transmission lines, said “we won’t let them in, even if they rock up with the police”.

“They’ll have to take us to court,” he said.

Under Victoria’s Land Acquisition and Compensation Act farmers will receive compensation for the value of the land covered by the 70m wide easement, plus the impact on their farming operation.

In February last year Victorian Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio also announced further compensation of $200,000 per kilometre of transmission they hosted, paid in annual instalments of $8000 per kilometre over 25 years.

Yet at the same time the government stands to earn $76 million a year in easement land taxes from TCV on its 240km VNI West route and AusNet’s 190km Western renewables Link, equal to $177,000/km.

Mr Batters said “it’s a joke” that the government will rake in $177,000/km in taxes while farmers were offered $8000/km.

Meanwhile, the maps appear to show that TCV’s parent company, the Australian Energy Market Operator, has also extended the final length of the transmission line, adding massively to the cost, to be repaid by Victorian households and businesses through supply charges on their electricity bills.

When AEMO released its Project Assessment Conclusions report in May last year, it put the cost of building the 206km Victorian section of VNI West at $3.5 billion.

But the documents seen by The Weekly Times show AEMO has extended the route’s length to 240km, adding 16.5 per cent to the line length and a whopping $577 million to the cost.

Transmission Company Victoria’s maps showing the VNI West route (purple line) through the Gannawarra Shire, crossing the Murray River at Murrabit, before heading south past Kerang.

Transmission Company Victoria’s maps showing the VNI West route (purple) through the Loddon Shire.

Transmission Company Victoria’s maps showing the VNI West route (purple) through the Buloke Shire.

Transmission Company Victoria’s maps showing the VNI West route (purple) through the Northern Grampians Shire.