The need and broad location for a new transmission line between Victoria and NSW was first identified by AEMO in its role as market planner. The publication of the Project Assessment Conclusions Report (PACR) in May 2023 marked the end of the regulatory investment test consultation process for VNI West and identified a broad 5-50 km area of interest for the project.
This process considered high level environmental, technical, social and cost considerations, and reflected input from consultation with key stakeholders. The next step was to identify a draft corridor that minimised impacts to communities and to environmentally and culturally sensitive areas. Constraints that must or should be avoided were identified based on detailed desktop analysis and expert workshops, along with information gathered through community and stakeholder discussions. These were outlined in an Environmental Constraints Summary Report, released in July 2023.
A draft corridor approximately 2 km wide was identified and announced in October 2023. More detail can be found in the report on the Draft Corridor, under Reports on the TCV website.
Through direct engagement with landholders, Traditional Owners and communities in the corridor, TCV will continue to build its understanding of how the land is used today to verify location constraints and identify the best location for the transmission lines to minimise land-use, cultural and environmental impacts. Technical, environmental and engineering assessments are being carried out to inform the process underway to further refine the route, and comprehensive technical assessments will be completed as part of the regulated Environment Effects Statement process. TCV is aiming to narrow the corridor to a preferred easement of 70m-120m in September 2024.
While the proposed VNI West corridor has been narrowed to a width of approximately 2km, the route has not been finalised. Ongoing consultation and studies undertaken as part of the EES may identify additional areas proximal to the corridor for assessment. If a better overall alignment is identified and confirmed through the assessment process, then the proposed route may change.
The draft corridor for VNI West was designed based on the principle of ‘avoidance’. This means we will minimise environmental, agricultural, social and cultural impacts wherever possible. We welcome and will consider feedback but note that any alternate proposals put forward will be assessed for how well the proposal effectively minimises all of these impacts.
TCV will consider alternative routes outside or proximal to the existing draft corridor put forward by the community, where the alternative is endorsed by the local community and landholders. The person/group making the submission will need to confirm the proposal has the support of all landholders who would be directly impacted by the proposed route, before we can consider it. There are a broad range of considerations in identifying the best route, including engineering and design feasibility, and we cannot guarantee that alternate proposals will be reflected in the final easement.
The draft corridor for VNI West was designed based on the principle of ‘avoidance’. This means we will minimise environmental, agricultural, social and cultural impacts wherever possible. We welcome and will consider feedback but note that any alternate proposals put forward will be assessed for how well the proposal effectively minimises all of these impacts.
Many public road reserves are not wide enough to accommodate major infrastructure and can also be areas of environmental sensitivity as they often contain important remnant vegetation. There are also potential road safety, public safety and transmission infrastructure safety risks.
Not yet. TCV is at the beginning of a comprehensive environmental and planning approval process for VNI West, under the regulated Environment Effects Statement process which is expected to proceed for the next 18 months.
The project cannot proceed without required planning approvals from state and commonwealth governments.
The VNI West project was also referred to the Commonwealth Environment Minister to consider whether approval is required under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999.
The Minister confirmed in June 2024 that VNI West is a ‘Controlled Action’ requiring assessment and approval under the EPBC Act and will be assessed under the assessment bilateral agreement between the Commonwealth and Victorian Governments.
The Commonwealth has resolved to use the bilateral assessment agreement and depend upon the Victorian Government’s assessment process (EES) to guide its approval decision under the EPBC Act 1999.
