Power line upgrades key in growth
The rapid growth of regional large-scale renewable energy projects has prompted development leaders to step up a call for upgrades to western Victorian power-supply infrastructure.
Wimmera Development Association, working on behalf of Hindmarsh, Northern Grampians, West Wimmera, Yarrimbiack and Horsham Rural City councils, has sought urgent government action on the issue.
It has expanded a submission it has sent to a federal parliamentary committee as part of an inquiry into modernising Australia’s electricity grid. It has also sent the submission to the State Government.
The association announced earlier this year it supported a third electrical interconnecter to establish greater grid connectivity between Victoria and South Australia.
It has since updated the submission, calling for increased electrical capacity of power lines criss-crossing the region.
Association executive director Ralph Kenyon said the fear was that the Wimmera and southern Mallee, which the renewable-energy industry had identified as a hot-bed for power production, might miss an opportunity to fully exploit its potential.
“In simple terms, the power lines in the region are limited in their capacity in the amount of power they can carry,” he said.
“Establishing a third Victoria-south Australia interconnector would be the ultimate solution, but there is a also a far less costly opportunity that simply involves upgrading power lines to double their capacity.
“Increasing the electrical capacity of the lines would open the door for more large-scale renewable-energy projects as well as smaller operations that could be established in the region.”
Mr Kenyon said research had clearly identified the Wimmera as suitable for wind, solar and biomass renewable-energy production.
“At the moment we are aware of five wind farms and three major solar projects under development in the Wimmera-southern Mallee region,” he said.
“But the region is hampered in its ability to attract further renewable-energy investment due to the limits of its electrical transmission network.
“A number of companies looking at western Victoria for sites for new wind farms have been forced to reduce the size of their developments or consider alternative locations – simply because of a lack of infrastructure and network capacity.”
Mr Kenyon stressed that large expanses of land with small populations made the region perfect for renewable power projects. “Unfortunately a large portion of the Wimmera-southern Mallee does not have the power infrastructure to take advantage of this growing and significant development opportunity,” he said.
“North-west Victoria is experiencing a high level of interest for renewable-generation connection but it exceeds current network capability.”
Exciting time
Mr Kenyon said the expectation was that technology improvements and reliance on renewable energy would grow.
“The Wimmera and southern Mallee considers this an exciting time for the region – one where the region can help generate power and reduce pressure on the statewide electrical network.
“Upgrades to power infrastructure in the region would be a step towards an efficient and stabilised power network with the ability to move the resource to where it is most needed.”
Mr Kenyon said the use of largescale batteries storage, planned for projects at Bulgana near Great Western and in South Australia, would help with power storage and movement.
“But this will only be possible where the network has existing capacity,” he said. “Again, there will be limitations without additional infrastructure upgrades. Small community energy projects, while trying to help with the overall issue, will again be constrained.”
As well as large international companies establishing wind and solar farms in the region, rural communities are exploring ways to tap into the renewable-energy revolution.
Natimuk Community Energy is aiming for a 100 percent renewable energy supply by 2030 and a community meeting at Harrow in the region’s south-west on Friday explored alternative ways of providing power to the town and district farms.