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The future of a contentious green power transmission line in the state’s west is under a cloud, with Premier Ben Carroll promising to review the project and delaying land acquisition until next year.
Opposition to transmission projects such as the Western Renewables Link (WRL), a high-voltage power line taking electricity from regional Bulgana to Sydenham at Melbourne’s suburban fringe, is shaping up as a key election issue.
In a statement on Tuesday, Carroll said he would commission an independent assessment of WRL’s costs to ensure it delivered value for money for Victorians, who ultimately pay for transmissions project through their electricity bills.
The report is due by the end of the year and will be made public. Compulsory acquisitions for properties affected by the route will be paused while this process is under way.
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In his statement, Carroll’s framed the announcement around cost of living.
“This project was planned almost 10 years ago and Victorian consumers deserve updated, transparent costings,” he said.
“If we can save money on the costs of building, we can help reduce the cost of living.”
The $1.5 billion project is also currently going through an environmental effects statement process with the planning minister.
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The project is being delivered by Ausnet and has been opposed by landowners, particularly farmers, in the state’s west, who have complained about the consultation process and the selection of the route through their area and believe the towers will hamper their farming operations.
Many landowners have received compensation letters ranging from hundreds of thousands of dollars to multimillion-dollar compensation offers, but community campaigns against the project have persisted.
The 190-kilometre project will better connect renewable energy generators in the state’s west to Melbourne where demand is greatest. It includes towers as high as 85 metres.
It also runs through a swag of important Labor seats for the state election, including Melton at Melbourne’s fringe and Ripon and Eureka, which include parts of Ballarat.
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Carroll’s statement acknowledged the three MPs in these seats, Steve McGhie, Martha Haylett, and Michaela Settle, and said they had been advocating on behalf of locals on the issues.
“They have made it crystal clear to me that locals want transparency on this project,” he said.
“I’ve heard that message – and this is my plan.”
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Transmission lines are shaping as an election issue after the Coalition and One Nation both vowed to scrap VNI West, another proposed line that would run from the NSW border and connect to the WRL and has similarly been the subject of community campaigns.
Opposition Leader Jess Wilson had initially proposed to pause and review VNI West but boosted her pledge to a cancellation after One Nation made its opposition to renewable energy projects a key part of its electoral strategy in the regions.
The Coalition is currently pledging to pause and review WRL, rather than cancel it.
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Kieran Rooney is a Victorian state political reporter at The Age.Connect via email.AdvertisementAdvertisement