Western Victoria Transmission Network Project Statement
Published on 30 November 2021
Update 30/11/21
Pyrenees Shire Council welcomes the clarity provided by the confirmation of a route for the WVTNP announced by Ausnet on 26 November.
The announcement that the section of the line passing through the Pyrenees will be 220kV also provides additional clarity to landholders in the area.
Council is disappointed that investigations by Ausnet undergrounding of the line will not undergo further consideration except in a few limited applications. Council has advocated for thorough consideration of this as a viable option, and Council welcomes a peer review of this technical work.
Members of the community are encouraged to stay informed and access the information recently uploaded on the project website.
Webinars will also be held on Tuesday 30 November at 7pm and on Thursday 2 December at 7pm.
Ausnet will hold face-to-face community information sessions including at Waubra on 6 December from 12-8pm.
Council is focused on ensuring the negative impacts of this project are properly investigated and mitigated as best as possible.
Update 13/9/21
Council is continuing to work in the advocacy space around the Western Victorian Transmission Network project.
This advocacy includes briefings with project proponent AusNet and regular meetings between the CEOs of the Councils on the WVTN route.
Council has sought answers on behalf of the public from AusNet on issues raised with us and in public forums Council has attended.
Council has a staff representative on the Technical Reference Group for the project.
Council is supportive of Moorabool Shire Council’s desire for an underground option to be comprehensively considered in the Environmental Effects Statement.
The grouping of Councils is looking at jointly funding a resource to provide a comprehensive submission on behalf of the group to the Environmental Effects Statement when it is available.
Council has also sought advice from the Energy, Environment and Climate Change Minister Lily D’Ambrosio in respect of finding out a timeframe for a decision on the line between Ballarat and Bulgana being 500kva.
Council continues to encourage the public to inform themselves about the project, including attending online AusNet project webinars, and accessing the updates and information from the project website. Click this link for webinar information.
Update 20/7/21
Mayor Damian Ferrari and CEO Jim Nolan attended last week’s (14/7) community meeting in Waubra about the Western Victorian Transmission Project.
A local landowner convened the meeting and it was chaired by Katherine Myers on behalf of the Stop AusNet’s Towers steering committee.
State Member for Ripon Louise Staley, Upper House Member for Western Victoria Bev McArthur and Federal Senator for Victoria Sarah Henderson also attended.
Cr Ferrari and Mr Nolan spoke to the packed meeting to encourage locals to stay informed and involved in the process.
Council stands with the community and will continue to engage with AusNet to seek answers from them.
PSC will also engage with and share information with other Councils.
Link to Stop AusNet's Towers website.
Council would like to inform the public that it is closely following the developments on this project and will look to gather more information.
A report on the Western Victoria Transmission Network was brought to the June Council meeting for information.
Members of the public provided a number of submissions and asked questions on the issue.
On Tuesday 15/6, Council resolved the following;
That Council:
1. Continues to ensure it has representation on the Technical Reference Group for the WVTN project EES.
2. Invites representatives of the proponent, AusNet Services to meet with Council to brief Council on the project, and in particular on the process for determining the preferred corridor and route.
3. Engages with other affected Councils to share information and understanding about the project.
4. Seeks to engage with the affected landowners, residents, and communities in the shire to assist in understanding the local views and concerns about the project.
5. Continues to advocate on behalf of the affected communities to AusNet Services where appropriate.
6. Seeks that a progress report be brought to Council in six months or earlier as appropriate.
7. Provide to Ausnet the questions and information provided by members of the public to the Council meeting 15 June 2021.
8. Seek from Ausnet to convene further community consultation in Waubra and Lexton regarding the WVTN Project as soon as practical.
Council will seek meetings from Ausnet and will provide feedback to the public where appropriate.
Please stay up to date with information from WVTN - on their website they have released a statement about living and working with the WVTN.
https://www.westvictnp.com.au/1news/news_feed/living-and-working-with-the-wvtnp-summary-guidelines