Western Victoria Transmission Network Project announces corridors and calls for nominations to community consultation groups  

AusNet today announced corridors for the Western Victoria Transmission Network Project for further investigation and consultation. 

The project is critical to unlocking vast reserves of renewable energy and the economic potential of western Victoria including the creation of new jobs in the region.

As part of developing the project, corridors have been narrowed from the broad area of interest after thousands of submissions and representations from the local community.

In some locations there is only one corridor of interest and in other locations there are alternative corridor options. See map attached. The priority for identifying the corridors was to minimise and mitigate the potential impact of new infrastructure on the environment and communities.

Over the coming months, there will be further community consultation and investigations in the corridors, with a final corridor anticipated to be announced by mid-2021. 

AusNet is seeking nominations for members of three Community Consultation Groups (CCGs). The aim of these groups is to improve communication between the communities and the project. Members will be selected based on merit, skills, expertise and evidence of connection to the community. 

AusNet Executive Project Director, Stephanie McGregor, said AusNet is committed to continuous engagement with the local community as part of the process to determine a final route for this project. 

“We’ve heard the concerns and valuable insights from the community and taken these into account alongside the technical studies as we narrow down the area of interest.”

“We encourage continued community input as we further investigate these corridors so that we can deliver this critical infrastructure with the least amount of impact. Everyone in the community can help shape this project, which is why we are inviting nominations for the three Community Consultation Groups. These groups will foster collaboration and further support the flow of information to the community about the project.”

Details of upcoming face to face community drop-in sessions will be announced next week. A mail out to residents living within the corridors is underway and advertisements will appear in the local papers.