Foster provides last chance to drop in for VicGrid information

THE South Gippsland town of Foster was the last place in Victoria to host a VicGrid regional drop-in session on Thursday August 22 ahead of the closing dates for feedback on the draft Victorian Transmission Plan guidelines and renewable energy zone study area.

Those wishing to make a comment have until this Sunday to upload a written submission or you could complete a feedback form on the Engage Vic website. Closing dates are as follows:

• Feedback on the guiding principles will close at 11:59pm on Sunday, August 25, 2024. If you believe there’s too much emphasis on minimising the cost of power for energy users and providing certainty of financial returns to investors rather than protecting high-value farming land, go to the Engage Vic website (vic transmission plan) to fill out a feedback form. Click HERE
• Feedback on the study area will close on September 30, 2024. If you think South Gippsland is the wrong place to be establishing wind farms, go to the Engage Vic website (vic transmission plan) to fill out a feedback form. Click HERE

At the drop-in session at the Foster War Memorial Arts Centre, a steady stream of interested people called in to gather some information about what the government plans for the rollout of the renewable network that the State Government hopes will replace the doomed coal-fires power stations in the Latrobe Valley.

One of them was Foster North farmer Joe McGrath, who also has an interest in the Gippsland offshore wind transmission study area which starts about 6km from the coast near Giffard and ends up at the Loy Yang Power Station in Traralgon.

“They think they can buy off all the landowners on the route for $400,000 a year, as little as $1000-a-kilometre per year to have high-voltage powerlines on their properties.”

Mr McGrath believes you’ll lose much more than that in reduced farm value if they put transmission lines on your property.

“I think they’ve still got a long way to go with that,” he said.

VicGrid and the State Government has already ruled out putting the transmission line from the Gippsland Offshore development area to Loy Yang mainly because of the cost, but also because it will take to long to build.

“After careful analysis, undergrounding the transmission line was ruled out as an option due to challenges including cost, engineering complexity, procurement and timing.?Our preliminary analysis found the preferred solution would cost up to $1.5 billion while an underground high voltage direct current line would cost up to $4.5 billion.?The additional costs of undergrounding would be paid for by all Victorian homes and businesses through higher power bills.”

Interest was also expressed in the Tier 1 study area nominated between Foster North and Fish Creek as being highly suitable for hosting renewable energy infrastructure including wind farms and transmission lines.

Tier 1 areas are seen as be “most suitable for investigation”.

“We will prioritise these areas to investigate for future renewable energy zones, based on the combination of high opportunities and low constraints for wind and solar.”

Much of the rest of South Gippsland has been designated as Tier 2 “suitable for investigation”.

“These areas are suitable for investigation based on the combination of moderate-high opportunities and low-moderate constraints. Some of these are close to key locations where wind and solar can connect to the network.”