Real Solutions for All Victorians – The Liberals and Nationals
The Liberals and Nationals are proud to put forward to the Victorian people what is without doubt the most comprehensive policy agenda ever taken to a Victorian election. The Liberals and Nationals will deliver reliable and affordable energy, as well as a practical and achievable path to reduce emissions.
The Andrews Labor Government has put community support for renewables infrastructure at risk, with its approach to the Western Renewables Link (formerly known as the Western Victorian Transmission Project). The currently proposed route, which will see a new transmission line constructed across 190km of intensively farmed agricultural and ecological land from Bulgana to Sydenham, has caused a large community backlash.
Scrapping the Western Renewables Link
Unlike Labor, the Liberals and Nationals have listened to the community, and have a common-sense solution that delivers a new route and more renewable energy for all Victorians. Under the Liberals and Nationals plan:
There will be no new transmission lines from Bulgana to Waubra to Sydenham.
There will be no new terminal station at Mt Prospect.
There will be no new transmission lines for Wombat State Forest or Lerderderg State Park.
Will preserve existing farm use east of Waubra.
We will protect the potato growers and ensure supply to McCains.
A Matt Guy Liberals and Nationals Government will:
Unlock 1,800 megawatts of renewable energy by re-routing the Western Renewables Link Project from Bulgana to Mortlake, Mortlake to Lara and Lara to Sydenham, mainly using existing transmission line easements that already host transmission lines.
Immediately establish a “Fixing Victoria’s Grid” taskforce that partners with industry to develop a plan to modernise our transmission system to make renewables work with a timeline to getting their work done.
Direct VicGrid to establish a Competitive Evaluation Process through which this transmission project and all future transmission projects will be planned and fully costed.
Task the Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria – together with the Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner – with investigating what options could be available to affected landowners for the purpose of addressing their legitimate interests and concerns.
Upgrade the capacity of the line to a minimum of 500KV for the entire 300km distance and upgrade the Bulgana Terminal Station – future-proofing this key infrastructure as more renewables come online.
Bring the network planning function back to Victoria by replacing AEMO with VicGrid as Victoria’s transmission grid planner.
The Liberals and Nationals will ensure that local communities are not left behind as we connect our renewable energy zones.
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Get Involved
The only way to make a difference is to get involved. It’s easy to sit back and wait for others to do something but when you are staring at 75-85m towers in a few years time, you will kicking yourself for not doing something when you had the chance. This is OUR only chance to stop these towers, so get involved now.
Welcome to the home of Darley Power Fight. A group of residents in Darley, Coimadai and Merrimu, united against high voltage transmission towers passing through our backyard. We came together through the realisation the transmission line will divide a narrow corridor between Darley and the Lerderderg State Park; altering landscape character, causing widespread damage to critical habitat for threatened species, increasing fire risk to the Park and thousands of residents, destroy our visual amenity, harm local agriculture and will impact businesses and property values. It will completely desecrate, in a few years, what nature has taken millions of years to create.
