HumeLink has been given the go-ahead by the NSW Government and will now seek Commonwealth approval. Photo: Transgrid.
Transgrid’s multi-billion dollar HumeLink renewable electricity line has been given the green light by the NSW Government.
The controversial $4.8 billion project will connect Wagga, Bannaby and Maragle and provide a 365-km “renewable energy infrastructure spine” to southern NSW and allow communities to tap into the promised benefits of Snowy Hydro 2.0.
According to the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Paul Scully, it will be one of the largest transmission projects to be approved in the state’s history.
“This critical state significant infrastructure project will enable more renewable energy generation to enter the market supporting NSW’s emissions reduction targets,” Mr Scully said.
“HumeLink is an important investment in NSW’s energy capability, increasing the amount of renewable energy that can be delivered to consumers and helping the state move towards a net zero future.”
The minister said HumeLink would create 1600 construction jobs and drive a $6.3 billion investment into the regional economy.
“Together we’re building an energy system which will help keep the lights on, put downward pressure on energy bills and reduce emissions while creating jobs,” he said.
The thumbs up means it can now proceed to the Commonwealth Government for final approval.
The NSW Government’s approval of the HumeLink requires Transgrid to address community concerns. Photo: Transgrid.
The mega-project has faced considerable community opposition with landholders challenging the visual and environmental impact of the transmission lines and urging the government to ditch the poles and wires and go underground instead.
The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) said the proposal had been carefully assessed and the approval came with strict conditions.
Transgrid will be required to engage with landowners to address visual and environmental concerns, road repairs and land rehabilitation and will put up a $502.3 million security bond to make sure biodiversity offsets are implemented.
The call to take the transmission lines underground was dismissed on the grounds that it would be “significantly more expensive than what current regulatory frameworks allow for consumers to pay in transmission project costs”.
The DPHI cited two parliamentary inquiries into the feasibility of undergrounding and said the project would reduce potential impacts as much as possible by locating the majority of new transmission lines within the existing corridors.
Broken Hill’s broken Transgrid power lines kept the city in the dark. Photo: Transgrid.
Last week, Member for Wagga Dr Joe McGirr called on the NSW Government to do its homework after a storm led to the collapse of seven Transgrid towers near Broken Hill in October.
Dr McGirr wrote to Planning Minister Paul Scully and Energy Minister Penny Sharpe saying that it was critical to ensure the larger HumeLink towers would be able to withstand extreme weather.
“Why did the towers fall in western NSW, causing so much hardship to so many people? And how can we be sure the HumeLink towers will be safe, especially given the climate change-driven risk of even more extreme weather in the future?” he asked.
“At up to 76 metres in height, the towers will be higher than those in the west and will be sited in elevated, windy areas with huge bushfire risks – so our community needs to be assured that the HumeLink towers will not also be at risk of failure.”
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