‘It’s going to be war’: Farmers who refuse transmission lines could be fined thousands

Farmers could be fined more than $12,000 for refusing to allow transmission towers or lines on their properties under controversial new measures that underscore the urgency of the transition to renewable energy.

The proposed 475-kilometre Victoria New South Wales Interconnector (VNI West) transmission line is designed to carry power from renewable energy zones in both states.

VNI West would form part of the backbone of new transmission lines the Australian Energy Market Operator and governments say will be needed to connect capital cities and renewable energy zones in country areas.

The operator estimates 10,000 kilometres of new lines will be needed by 2050, but the process has been politically and economically fraught.

In Victoria, provisions for compulsory land access for transmission lines are already in force under the Electricity Industry Act.

However, a bill to be debated in Victoria’s upper house this week contains provisions for the enforcement of those powers. It proposes penalties of up to $12,210 for landholders refusing transmission companies access to their land, more than $4000 for failing to provide identification and $1200 for removing official notices.

The fines are intended to be a last resort, after all avenues for voluntary access have been exhausted.

The Victorian government has also offered sweeteners for landholders who host transmission infrastructure on their land. A Victorian government spokesman said the renewable energy zones and new transmission infrastructure would protect energy, food and water security.

“Landholders hosting new electricity transmission infrastructure will receive payments of $8000 per kilometre of typical easement area per year for 25 years, indexed to inflation,” he said. “This payment is in addition to the existing compensation arrangements for hosting transmission.

“Authorised officers will always work with landowners before accessing land – this legislation will prevent inappropriate behaviour from private transmission companies and brings Victoria in line with other jurisdictions, including NSW, and other vital major infrastructure such as transport and telecommunications.”

Across Victoria Alliance spokesman Andrew Weidemann said there would be war between landholders and authorities over VNI West and other transmission projects, and warned of anarchy as farmers tried to block entry to their properties.

“It’s going to be a war, essentially, and people are prepared for it,” he said.

“People are prepared to go to jail for this. It’s going to be a bit of a massacre, I think, when it happens, but it’s going to happen.”

AEMO recently reported that costs for the VNI West project – which would connect the Western Renewables Link in Victoria and the Energy Connect transmission line in NSW – had blown out from $3.9 billion to $7.6 billion, and could climb to $11.4 billion.

VNI West is key to efforts to connect cities in both states to renewable energy zones as ageing coal-fired power stations close down.

The cost of construction will be passed on to consumers through their energy bills, creating a difficult balancing act for authorities seeking to create a more reliable and flexible energy grid without increasing financial pressures on households.

Weidemann, who questioned the science of climate change, said it was wrong that “good, productive farmland” was being put at risk in the push for renewables.

“We would say our civil rights are being thrown under the bus by the Allan Labor government around introducing the fines that they’re talking about, just so they can push their agenda, which is to push transmission onto farmland right across Victoria, over the next 15 years, essentially,” he said.

“And farmers are rightly pushing back because we believe that the energy manufacturing should actually come closer to where it’s needed. And all we’re doing is putting up transmission lines and renewable projects so that we can basically feed the cities.”

Last month, farmers protested on the steps of Victorian parliament when the VicGrid Stage 2 Reform Bill was passed in the lower house. Rally organisers are planning another protest in Ballarat on Friday.

State Opposition Leader Brad Battin said that if elected in November next year, the Coalition would repeal the legislation.

The completion of VNI West was recently delayed by two years, pushing it out to 2030 and placing further pressure on the system because the Yallourn coal-fired power station in the Latrobe Valley is due to close in 2028.

As this masthead reported earlier this month, the lack of high-voltage power lines to connect faraway wind and solar farms to major cities has emerged as one of the biggest roadblocks to Australia’s clean energy transition.

Nexa Advisory principal Stephanie Bashir, a former executive at electricity and gas giant AGL, said at that time the failure to deliver new transmission infrastructure, particularly interconnectors, was stalling Victoria’s energy transition and driving up costs.

The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.