Hepburn Shire Council has concluded its formal participation in the Environment Effects Statement hearings for the Western Renewables Link, presenting expert evidence on tourism, agriculture and landscape and visual impacts on Wednesday 10 December.
The Western Renewables Link forms part of a broader program of transmission upgrades intended to connect renewable energy projects in western Victoria to the state’s electricity grid. The project would involve new high-voltage transmission infrastructure, including towers up to 80 metres high, crossing rural areas of western Victoria, including parts of Hepburn Shire.
In its submissions to the inquiry panel, Council argued that Hepburn Shire’s productive agricultural land, high-value landscapes, heritage assets, biodiversity and tourism-based economy make it particularly sensitive to the impacts of large-scale overhead transmission infrastructure. Council is opposing the project in its current form and is advocating for a fully underground solution, which it says would substantially reduce environmental, visual and economic impacts.
Mayor Tony Clark said Council has worked with the community since 2021 in opposing the proposal as designed and would continue to stand with residents as the process moves toward a final decision. He said strong community participation had been evident throughout the hearings.
The hearings are part of the statutory Environment Effects Statement process. An independent panel is expected to deliver its recommendations to the Minister for Planning in March or April next year, with a final decision anticipated in mid to late 2026.
Despite the fact that the EES is not yet complete, the Australian Energy Market Operator’s website states that AusNet Services Group has already been awarded a contract to plan, design, construct, own, operate and maintain major elements of the Western Victoria transmission network. According to AEMO, the contract follows a competitive tender process linked to the Western Victorian Regulatory Investment Test for Transmission, finalised in 2019, and includes new terminal stations and long-distance high-voltage transmission lines staged over several years.
While the Western Renewables Link continues to be assessed through the Environment Effects Statement process, the publication of this contract information has raised questions for some community members about how the remaining planning and approval steps intersect with infrastructure delivery decisions. The Wombat Post will continue to follow the project and its implications for Hepburn Shire as the assessment process continues.
This article is based on a media release from Hepburn Shire Council.
