Towers taller than MCG

TRANSMISSION line towers higher than lights at the MCG will be dotted through the Loddon under Australia Energy Market Operator’s new preference for a route connecting Victoria and New South Wales.

Landowners across the region have been calling for detail on what the landscape will look like if the project proceeds.

Victorian Farmers’ Federation Wedderburn branch Graham Nesbit said it was believed 85-metre high towers would be no more than 450 metres apart on the 220km route.

Mr Nesbit and other local landowners have questioned whether the lines would have capacity for locally-generated wind and solar energy to be fed into the grid.

“It looks like the line will see off-shore wind energy sent to New South Wales and power from the Snowy come to Victoria.”

AEMO has said capacity on the proposed 500 kiloVolt line could later be increased.

Six days left to make comment

LESS than a week remains for what AEMO says is ‘’additional consultation” on its new preferred option five through the Loddon Shire.

An information sheet distributed by AEMO at last week’s forum in St Arnaud had the February 23 release of its consultation report listed for mid-February.

Its general manager Victoria planning Nicola Falcon later told the Loddon Herald that the consultation period was the mandated minimum six weeks.

Victorian Farmers’ Federation Wedderburn president Graham Nesbit, one of dozens from the Loddon at the St Arnaud forum, said local farmers were at the point of making formal submissions before consultation ends next Wednesday.

“It doesn’t matter how simple the submission, we need to get our views on potential impacts across and have our voices heard,” he said.

AEMO quintet cops grilling

LANDOWNERS have grilled AEMO over the lack of detail with its preferred route for the Victoria-New South Wales Interconnector West (VNI West) project.

One of two last-minute consultation pop-ups saw five AEMO representatives in the main street of Wedderburn on Friday.

Consultation sessions in Wedderburn and Kerang were added to the AEMO website after calls for better engagement from local government leaders including Loddon Mayor Dan Straub and CEO Lincoln Fitzgerald.

Borung farmers Amber and Peter Gib-