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, on Tuesday 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 state-wide 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 VicGrid is starting their 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 chief executive 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 the Engage Victoria website, 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 August 25, 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.
