VicGrid has significantly changed its renewable energy zones following community feedback, but the VFF says it’s not enough.

The changes were announced as part of the 2025 Victorian Transmission Plan, released on Sunday, August 17.

The plan proposes the creation of six renewable energy zones that signal to the community, landholders and industry where wind and solar projects and batteries for storage should be developed.

VFF president Brett Hosking said the changes weren’t the perfect solution.

“This plan has been sold as a way to keep the lights on, but it still leaves farmers in the dark,” Mr Hosking said.

“The government has redrawn the renewable energy zones to suit developers, yet we still don’t know how much power will actually be built, what protections farmers will get, or what benefits will flow back into local communities.

“We keep seeing the see-sawing cost of these projects, and you must wonder where it will end. How is a plan a plan if it fails to outline even the basic details of how much it will cost?”

Mr Hosking said the VFF’s message was simple: the government needs to stop leaving farmers guessing and be transparent.

“Farmers can work with change. But we won’t cop being treated as second-class citizens on our own land. If the government wants to get this transition done, it needs to put communities at the centre, not at the end of the queue.”

VicGrid chief executive officer Alistair Parker said VicGrid had carefully considered all the feedback it received from the community, regional stakeholders, Traditional Owners and the agriculture and energy industries in preparing the plan.

“The Victorian Transmission Plan will ensure an orderly energy transition and has been designed through consultation to minimise impacts on landholders, regional communities and crucial regional industries like agriculture,” he said.

In response to feedback following the release of the draft Victorian Transmission Plan in May, VicGrid has adjusted the size and shape of renewable energy zones and refined some of its transmission projects.

Some areas have been removed from or added to zones, and new separate sections have been added in the South West REZ and Central North REZ (our region).

Mr Parker said feedback from communities and regional stakeholders about sensitive areas, including new information about brolga habitats and irrigated agricultural land, had resulted in a number of areas being removed from the renewable energy zones.

The area covered by proposed renewable energy zones in the 2025 Victorian Transmission Plan takes up about 7.9 per cent of Victorian land.

Less than one per cent of land will be needed to host physical infrastructure like wind turbines, solar panels and access roads.

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Friday, 21st April 2023

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