Energy

Victorian farmers will descend on Parliament House in Melbourne next Tuesday 15 August for the ‘Stop the Towers’ rally, in response to the proposed VNI West and Western Renewables Link transmission projects.

The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) has extended the timeframe for making a decision on the dispute raised by Moorabool and Central Highlands Power Alliance Inc. (MCHPA) in relation to AEMO Victoria Planning (AVP) and TransGrid’s Joint Victoria NSW Interconnector West (VNI-West) regulatory investment test for transmission (RIT-T).

On Tuesday, August 15, the Regional Victoria Power Alliance of farmers, their rural, regional, and suburban neighbours, retail and tourism business owners, and many other community members will be holding their "Stop the Towers" Rally in Melbourne, on the steps of Parliament and in Spring Street itself ... "Stop the Towers" spokesperson Glenden Watts, "the naked farmer" from Yeungroon, says that he and everyone else in the western and northwestern regions only learnt earlier this year that they were in an "area of interest" for VNI West.

NSW Farmers Energy Transition spokesman Reg Kidd says upgrading existing powerlines would short-circuit community pain over transmission projects. A proposal from the Victoria Energy Policy Centre to use existing powerline easements to house 80-metre-high pylons and high voltage powerlines was worth investigating for NSW as well, Mr Kidd said.

"A damning new report has laid bare the cost blowout and waste of the Western Victoria energy transmission project, threatening prime Mallee farmland," Member for Mallee, Anne Webster says. The Victoria Energy Policy Centre’s (VEPC) "No Longer Lost In Transmission" report highlights the VNI West) costs are understated by the AEMO and already reliant on outdated data.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) has launched a petition to the Victorian Parliament calling for the VNI West and Western Renewables Link transmission projects to be stopped. VFF President Emma Germano said the petition seeks to make the state’s political leaders take notice of decisions that are impacting Victorian farmers and their communities.

Community members gathered ... to share information and discuss what they believe is an unsatisfactory time frame to provide feedback on the 500kV VNI West power line development ... it was the consensus of the meeting that community members were still in a process of discovery and lamented that the power companies probably had 18 months to put together their Draft Corridor Reports, and still missed basic information, such as areas of extensive flooding.  

A review of the requirements for wind farm developments in Queensland is underway. The review of the Wind Farm Code (State Code 23) and its accompanying guidelines will aim to build greater community and industry confidence in clean energy projects.

Gold Hydrogen Ltd. has announced encouraging experimental stage one soil gas testing survey results for its southern Yorke Peninsula-based Ramsay project. The tests, which were completed by the CSIRO, detected hydrogen in soil across multiple locations.

Western Australia's regional energy provider Horizon Power has purchased a vanadium redox flow battery for a long-duration energy storage pilot in Kununurra. The 78-kilowatt/220kWh battery will enable Horizon Power to test the capabilities of providing long periods of 100 per cent renewable energy, with the potential for it to be used across WA.

Port Kembla is now home to Australia's first commercial hydrogen refuelling station for zero emissions heavy road vehicles, in a major breakthrough towards de-carbonising the region’s 7,000 heavy vehicles ... "The H2Station will be the first practical piece of enabling infrastructure towards de-carbonising the region’s 7,000 heavy vehicles as we move towards a cleaner, greener future": Minister for Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty.

It was a packed house at the Moulamein Recreation Reserve as community members from across the region gathered for the landholder information session on the proposed 500 kilovolt double circuit transmission line ... It was fantastic to see a town hall meeting ... the ultimate ‘pub test’.

The Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF) has released a new toolkit to provide information and practical guidance for landholders considering hosting a renewable energy project on their property. ... “There is much for a landholder to consider before entering into an agreement. It is also important for landholders to understand that they can say no to hosting a wind or solar farm development...": QFF CEO Jo Sheppard.

Jenny Pollard. A crowd in excess of 100 people turned out for the Transmission Company Victoria (TCV) information meeting held at Charlton Park last Wednesday evening. TCV is a recently formed company tasked with the "early works" stage of planning the Victorian section of the Victoria to New South Wales Interconnector West (VNI West) transmission line project.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) has expressed concerns about misleading information being provided to farmers who may be impacted by the proposed VNI-West transmission project. VFF President Emma Germano said the Australian Energy Market Operator (which is planning the project on behalf of the Victorian Government) had released information to landholders designed to pressure them into signing away access to their land.

The decision by the Federal Government to establish a Community Engagement Review to maximise engagement around electricity transmission and renewable energy developments has been welcomed by GrainGrowers as a positive step forward ... Mr Turton said the GrainGrowers National Policy Group had recently considered the issue of agricultural land use and had called for meaningful engagements with landholders and communities about proposed development sites.

The Kerang Memorial Hall was a flurry of activity at Tuesday’s VNI West Information Sessions ... From landholder engagement to environmental concerns, aboriginal cultural heritage, and even local, George Warne, was there as Transmission Company Victoria’s (TCV) agricultural advisor.

A group of very concerned East Greenmount residents is banding together in an effort to put a halt to plans to construct a series of wind turbines along the escarpment at Ramsay and East Greenmount. The group of residents, who do not wish to be named, met with local Member for Condamine and Shadow Energy Minister Pat Weir on Monday to discuss what the best options moving forward are to have the project stopped.