Power line opponents pen open letter

A GROUP representing communities across western and northwestern Victoria has issued an open letter to the Premier Jacinta Allan, asking her to reconsider plans for a series of overhead transmission line projects.

The Regional Victorian Power Alliance, which opposes the construction of the Western Renewables Link and VNI West projects in their current form, published the open letter late last month.

Titled ‘High voltage transmission towers present unacceptable risk to regional Victorian communities and the environment’, the RVPA wrote to Ms Allan after six transmission towers collapsed at Anakie on 13 February.

“It is imperative that we address how and why these towers failed,” the open letter said.

“The proposed construction of 400-kilometre of transmission lines through regional western and northwestern Victoria for the proposed Western Renewables Link and VNI West projects raises significant safety concerns for our communities, especially considering the use of proposed outdated technology.

“The collapse of these towers not only resulted in electricity outages for over 500,000 households at a yet to be accounted massive economic cost but also posed a severe threat to regional lives and the environment.

“The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) must be held accountable for its role in this catastrophe.

“The State Government’s reliance on AEMO’s guidance, without considering independent expert advice on energy transition and superior solutions for high voltage transmission lines, is unacceptable.”

The RVPA also called on policy makers to “consider broader economic costs and resilience factors in infrastructure projects”, improve public engagement, and conduct assessments that “factor in the full economic impact of outages.”