Crunch time for renewables plan
AGrampians development leader believes unified leadership is needed to ‘accelerate’ the start of multi-milliondollar renewable-energy projects earmarked for the region.
Grampians New Energy Taskforce chair Stuart Benjamin said leaders needed to prioritise six proposed Wimmera-southern Mallee projects before the State Government finalised a Renewable Energy Zones Implementation Plan.
The projects, based on switching Victoria’s electricity generation from coal-fired stations in the state’s east to renewable-energy farms in the west, represent billions of dollars in investment opportunities for the region.
Mr Benjamin said while the government would finalise its plans in coming months, it was development leaders, councils and other stakeholders who needed to get to work.
“We have between now and July to advocate as much as we can,” he said.
“Victoria Energy had the choice to push 30 different projects across Victoria – how do we make sure our six projects are among the first listed to start?”
The State Government plans to develop six renewable-energy zones – Ovens Murray, V1, Murray River, V2, Western Victoria, V3, South West, V4, Gippsland, V5 and Central North, V6.
It is also working with the Australian Energy Market Operator on the priority projects list.
It has identified a system-stabilising synchronous condenser at Horsham and to increase a Western Victorian Transmission Network Project from North Ballarat to Bulgana to carry 500 kilovolts of power instead of 220kv.
Mr Benjamin said the projects, expected to cost between $164-million and $384-million, would significantly increase renewable-energy potential in the region.
“It’s a big investment, but in the scheme of what we’re talking about it’s small for what will allow huge amounts of energy to flow into the grid,” he said.
“The goal of councils is to make it easy for that investment to come to our community.
“Our job as regional leaders will be to make ourselves so sticky and attractive that money just flows.”
Multi-million-dollar follow-up stage-two projects in Western Victoria zone would include another synchronous condenser at Murra Warra, north of Horsham, a 220kv upgraded line from Murra Warra to Bulgana and two industrial-sized batteries.
Stage one and two of the plans are likely to cost between $843-million and $1.98-billion.
Unified leadership
Wimmera Development Association executive director Chris Sounness said he wanted to see Wimmera-mallee stage-one projects listed high on the government’s priority list.
“You would hope some of these projects kick off straight away,” he said.
“The one we would like to see most is the upgrades to the transmission lines.”
Mr Sounness said unified leadership would ensure the projects progressed past initial planning phases.
“We need to ensure we’re speaking with one voice when we’re engaging with the department and political leaders,” he said.