Korumburra hills easy target for wind turbines and high-voltage towers

THE glorious, green rolling hills around Korumburra have been designated as a Tier 1 study area by VicGrid, the State Government’s renewable planning authority, “for future renewable energy generation and transmission infrastructure”.

The area has been colour-coded in the deepest blue on a new study map, released on Tuesday, July 23 as part of State Government’s ‘Developing the 2025 Victorian Transmission Plan’ to identify it as one of the highest priority areas in the state for investigation, and likely hosting of renewable energy facilities.

These might include wind turbines and transmission lines “based on the combination of high opportunities and low constraints for wind and solar”.

The high priority site sits in the centre of an area of moderate-high opportunities and low-moderate constraints, stretching from Pakenham and Moe in the north to Wonthaggi and the Bald Hills Wind Farm in the south with the towns and surrounding areas of Korumburra and Leongatha smack-bang in the middle.

The blue hatched area around Korumburra and Leongatha is the only area in the eastern part of the state to be included as key investigation areas in Victoria, on a state map dominated by investigation areas in the western half and north of Victoria, likely to host massive-scale solar facilities.

Those who want to have their say haven’t been given much time to do so.

Consultation on the investigation guidelines is open until August 25, 2024, while consultation on the study areas is open until September 30.

A draft Victorian Transmission Plan will be published early in 2025 with a further round of consultation before publication of the final plan by July 2025.

You might also consider attending a “drop in” information session at the Korumburra Community Hub, Little Commercial Street on Wednesday, August 14 from 4pm-7pm or Thursday, August 15 from 10.30am to 12.30pm

The other Gippsland session, likely to focus on the offshore wind transmission line study area from the Ninety Mile Beach to Traralgon, will be held at the Port of Sale centre on Wednesday, August 7 from 4pm to 7pm and Thursday, August 8 from 10.30am-12.30pm.

'No place for industrial energy facilities', says O'Brien

Gippsland South MLA Danny O'Brien has weighed in to the issue warning the State Government's plans for the closely settled, highly productive hills around Korumburra and Leongatha are "not the place for industrial energy facilities."

Here's what he had to say this week:

“This latest brain snap from the Labor Government yet again shows how divisive and out-of-touch the Government is when it comes to energy developments and regional Victoria," Mr O'Brien said.

“The area shown as a top priority for renewable energy facilities and transmission lines in the western half of the South Gippsland Shire is an area of outstanding natural beauty, is highly productive farmland and has a burgeoning tourism sector.

“That the Government thinks the rolling green, productive hills running north from Kongwak through Loch and Korumburra to Strzelecki , as well as a zone near Fish Creek and Foster, are good spots for wind and solar farms just shows how little it cares for country people.

“These are very closely settled locations and highly productive and picturesque farmland and they are not the place for industrial energy facilities.

“At the same time the Government restates its blanket ban on wind farms in city playgrounds like the Yarra Valley, Mornington and Bellarine Peninsulas, highlighting just how hypocritical this Government is: it seems to think these developments are fine for the country but not the city.

Council encourages your engagement

Asked for a comment about the state government’s renewable energy rollout, the South Gippsland Shire Council said it was reviewing the documents but at this stage had no comment beyond encouraging the community to stay informed and “to participate in the engagement”.

“At this stage, Council has no formal statement to give regarding the draft Victorian Transmission Plan Guidelines.

“Like our community, we are currently reviewing the draft guidelines and study area to help us prepare a submission during this engagement period.

“We encourage the community to participate in the engagement opportunities available from VicGrid also so their voices can be heard.”

What do the tiers in the study area mean?

The study area is the resulting combination of areas that offer high opportunities for renewable energy development (such as where wind and solar resources are strong) and lower overall constraints (which reflect the potential impact or disturbance from development) across the whole of Victoria.

Parts of South Gippsland and Bass Coast LGAs have been designated at Tier 1 and Tier 2.

Here’s what they mean:

Tier 1: We will prioritise these areas to investigate for future renewable energy generation and transmission infrastructure, based on the combination of high opportunities and low constraints for wind and solar.

Tier 2: These areas are suitable for investigation, based on the combination of moderate-high opportunities and low-moderate constraints. Some of these are close to key locations where wind and solar can connect to the network.

Victoria Planning Provision – Wind Project Exclusion Area: On the plus side, the documents have restated that an area from the Yanakie isthmus (Wilsons Promontory), around the coast to Phillip Island, including the Westernport coastal area to Lang Lang, has been designated as a prohibited area for renewable energy development, as follows:

“The Victorian Planning Provisions include specific prohibitions for permits to develop wind energy facilities in certain circumstances and locations, which include specific designated locations with high landscape or environmental value. These prohibition areas were introduced into the Victorian Planning Provisions in 2012 and are shown in the study area. They include the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges, Mornington and Bellarine Peninsulas, Macedon and McHarg Ranges, and land within 5km of the Great Ocean Road, Bass Coast and the coast east of Warrnambool. Solar facilities are not subject to the same prohibitions in these locations.”

For more information go to https://engage.vic.gov.au/victransmissionplan

State Government statement

Here's what the State Government had to say:

Have your say on the plan for Victoria’s renewable energy future (July 23, 2024).

VicGrid is asking communities, landholders, Traditional Owners and the energy industry to get involved and have their say on the development of the long-term strategic plan for Victoria’s Renewable Energy Zones and major transmission infrastructure.

Victoria is changing the way energy infrastructure is planned, developing the Victorian Transmission Plan and consulting with communities from the beginning of the process to realise local benefits, minimise impacts and deliver affordable and reliable power to Victorian homes and businesses. VicGrid, the government agency responsible for planning and developing the state’s Renewable Energy Zones, today released a draft of the Victorian Transmission Plan Guidelines, which set out how VicGrid will prepare the plan over the next 12 months.

The guidelines explain how VicGrid will determine how much renewable energy is needed to be generated where and by when, what transmission projects are required and how we will partner with communities and industry to make these decisions.

It also includes an initial study area, showing which parts of Victoria we will investigate further as we work with communities to find the best places to host future wind and solar generation.

This is an early step which has been informed by a bespoke statewide strategic land use assessment that took into account community feedback, land use, environment and cultural heritage.

The study area will be narrowed down to smaller areas for investigation and eventually, proposed Renewable Energy Zones through further engagement and analysis. While we’re starting our investigations broad, ultimately only a portion of the study area will be needed to host new energy infrastructure.

VicGrid is now seeking feedback from the community and industry on the guidelines and the study area, and CEO Alistair Parker said community input would play a crucial role at this stage and throughout the process of developing the Victorian Transmission Plan.

“We are changing the way energy infrastructure is delivered in Victoria and early and meaningful engagement is at the heart of our approach,” Mr Parker said.

“We need the input of regional communities, farmers, landholders and First Peoples so we can get this right for all Victorians, reduce impacts and deliver real benefits.”

Mr Parker said the energy industry also had a role to play in informing the Victorian Transmission Plan and he encouraged businesses to engage with VicGrid to share their knowledge and expertise. The Victorian Transmission Plan guidelines can be found on Engage Victoria, where people can provide feedback on the approach and the study area as well as details of the community information sessions VicGrid is running across the state.

Consultation on the guidelines is open until 25 August 2024, while consultation on the study area is open until 30 September. A draft Victorian Transmission Plan will be published early in 2025 with a further round of consultation before publication of the final plan by July 2025.

You might also consider making a submission or offering feedback on the government’s website at https://engage.vic.gov.au/victransmissionplan

Labor’s renewables blueprint sells out farmers, they say

Here is a statement from the Opposition:

Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Emma Kealy, has condemned the Allan Labor Government’s new transmission plan for Victoria and the devastating impact it will have on masses of prime agricultural land.

Labor’s renewable energy body VicGrid has released a draft map combined with guidelines of priority renewable energy zones, which deem large areas of western Victoria as the most suitable for solar, wind farms and transmission lines.

Ms Kealy said the Allan Labor Government had failed to listen to landholders and the agricultural sector, with the guidelines barely mentioning agriculture or farming as considerations.

“This sends a devastatingly clear message to our food and fibre producers that Labor does not care about the massive impact this plan will have on farmers’ ability to grow the produce that feeds the people of our state,” Ms Kealy said.

“Farmers keep food on our tables and are the cornerstone of our economy in western Victoria, but Labor seemingly has no plans for replacing the huge volumes of lost food production these projects would cause.

“No-one is arguing that our power delivery system needs upgrading, but there are ways to achieve this without gutting prime agricultural land.

“Labor let the cat out of the bag two years ago about its renewable plans, when a policy paper noted that meeting net-zero targets would require 70 per cent of Victoria’s agricultural land to be used for wind and solar farms. It’s no coincidence that this new transmission plan would accomplish that.

“I urge anyone who cares about the future of agriculture to submit their feedback on these plans.

“Labor can’t manage projects, can’t be trusted to look after our agricultural sector and Victorians are paying the price.”

Shadow Minister for Energy, Affordability and Security, David Davis, said Labor has botched Victoria’s energy policy and now plan to ride roughshod over Victorian farmers and country communities.

“Of course we need additional transmission capacity, but we don’t need an arrogant government that doesn’t listen to communities and producers, that doesn't value our critical agricultural sector,” Mr Davis said.

People can visit engage.vic.gov.au/victransmissionplan to make a submission and to see locations for regional drop-in sessions and online webinars.