Group backs renewable project
An organisation keen to get the best deal for regional communities in a switch to renewable energy has declared its support for a major project connecting the Wimmera to Melbourne.
Re-alliance leaders are confident a Western Victoria Transmission Line project represents an important part of energy-generation future for the state.
The organisation, which has a membership base including landholders, farmers, businesses and environmentalists across Australia, has a role to ‘work to secure an energy transformation to deliver long-term benefits and prosperity to regional Australia’.
The transmission-line project, which involves a major upgrade to electricity towers and lines, has generated a broad mix of celebration to community anxiety and anger, depending on circumstance and geographic location.
Wimmera development leaders have long pushed for the upgrade based on belief renewable-energy generation equates to significant regional growth. But highly vocal Central Highland campaigners, in the path of a proposed line route, remain fiercely opposed.
The proposed route runs from Bulgana near Great Western to Sydenham.
The Victorian Opposition believes simply changing the route from north of Ballarat to a more southern pathway would solve many issues.
Re-alliance Victoria co-ordinator Tony Goodfellow said a new transmission line would represent ‘an important piece of the puzzle as we prepare for coal’s exit and supply clean, cheap, reliable power to schools, homes and workplaces in our region and beyond’.
He said as Victoria continued to remove itself from a reliance on coal, western Victoria was in a unique position to tap into rich wind resources through the scaling up of transmission lines to unlock 900 megawatts of renewable energy.
He added latest Australian Energy Market Operator projections were that Australia’s coal-fired power plants were shutting almost three times faster than previously expected and ceasing by 2030.
“At the end of last year prominent Australian climate, environmental and conservation organisations released a joint statement supporting renewable-energy transmission lines as essential pieces of infrastructure required to bring more renewable energy into the grid and curb climate change,” he said.
“The statement acknowledged the impact transmission lines had on landholders, calling for a greater role for regional communities and First Nations groups in the planning process, as well as farmers being fairly compensated.
“It’s important to be straight with our community about the need for this project. It protects our regions and our environment by helping curb climate change. It’s also about our energy security and lowering power prices as coal power stations close.
“The Western Vic line will create jobs and unlock further economic opportunities from new wind and solar developments in our region. However, there needs to be two-way communication between developers and impacted landholders, plus transparent, fair compensation.
“Now is the best time for our community to get together and articulate to the government, ‘what are the sites of biggest concern? What do we want in return for hosting this project? How can we make sure that the renewables investment set to come into western Victoria will benefit the community as a whole?’”
In last year’s joint environmentgroup statement Environment Victoria chief executive Jono La Nauze said the movement was aware the country needed to fast-track the roll-out of transmission lines as part of the transition to renewable energy.