Powerlink will work collaboratively alongside 11 regional NRM organisations, on key aspects including the management of environmental offsets to ensure social and environmental benefits for communities, landscapes and future generations.

Related article: Work begins on Queensland’s CopperString 2032

It recognises the opportunity to develop projects across Queensland that support both sectors to be nature positive, while balancing affordability, security and reliability of the electricity network. The partnership also helps to facilitate the successful transition of an electricity network which is becoming more weather affected.

Powerlink executive general manager of network and business development Stewart Bell said, “Powerlink is playing a vital role in delivering Queensland’s transition to a renewable energy future by building the connections between generators and Queenslanders.

“Partnerships like this will also allow us to make meaningful contributions to enhancing Queensland’s natural resources.

“We see this is as not only a way to offset environmental impacts but also to understand how we can do more to ensure future generations can benefit from the rich environment Queensland has to offer.”

Natural Resource Management Regions Queensland CEO Chris Norman said, “The purpose of this agreement is to drive innovation that supports both the energy and natural resource management sector to be nature positive.

“We are hoping to develop a program of collaborative offsets with an initial focus on environmental restoration offsets.

Related article: Endangered parrots arrive at Tasmanian Gas Pipeline

“Like Powerlink, we have a long-term vision for a healthier environment built on foundations of dedication and trust.

“Together we want to develop leading practice around strategic environmental offsets and limit the impacts any action—such as renewable energy projects—might have on the environment.”

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Related article: How Australia can fast-track its energy transmission projects

The Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) transmission project will deliver new transmission lines to connect reliable renewable energy generation and storage projects within the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone in regional NSW to the national electricity network.

The project is expected to drive up to $20 billion in private investment in solar, wind and energy storage projects, supporting around 5,000 jobs during peak construction.

The approval is subject to more than 40 strict conditions to protect nature, including limiting clearance to avoid and mitigate impacts on threatened species.

Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek said, “I’ve ticked off more than 55 renewable energy projects in two years—enough to power more than three million Australian homes.

Related article: Heli-stringing project connects wind farm to the grid

“We’re getting on with the job of modernising our electricity grid to support them, and this project is another big step.”

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HumeLink is a proposed 500kV transmission line that will expand the transmission network in New South Wales, and is an actionable project under the Integrated System Plan. The project will reinforce the grid, and provide electricity customers with increased access to generation and storage opportunities in Southern and Southwest New South Wales.

Related article: UGL and CPB Contractors to construct HumeLink West

AER chair Clare Savage said that after a rigorous assessment the regulator had accepted project costs that were $314.4 million less than what was originally proposed by Transgrid in its application—approving $3,964.8 million in capital expenditure compared with Transgrid’s proposed $4,279.1 million (later revised to $4,173.4 million after accounting for new information).

“While HumeLink is a complex project of national significance, we recognise that it affects landholders and local communities on the transmission route and impacts electricity bills,” Savage said.

“There has been considerable stakeholder interest in this project and a diverse range of views were put forward throughout our consultation process. We valued the input of all stakeholders and sought to balance the breadth of interests and feedback in our decision-making.

“We are conscious that this decision comes at a difficult time for energy consumers, with many customers facing challenges to absorb higher electricity prices in the current economic climate.”

Related article: GenusPlus AND Acciona JV win HumeLink East contract

The AER noted in its decision that it was critical for Transgrid to continue to engage with communities to achieve and maintain their support in delivering the HumeLink project.

Following the AER’s decision to approve reduced costs for Stage 2 of HumeLink, Transgrid will be able to deliver the remainder of the HumeLink project.

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The annual apprenticeship program offers candidates a chance to become lineworkers, cable jointers, substation electricians or meter technicans. The four-year apprenticeship positions are available across regional and metropolitan areas, including Burnley, Brooklyn, Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton, Colac, Mildura, Warrnambool, Maryborough, Horsham, Kyneton and Echuca.

Related article: Tunnels reveal Melbourne’s past—and future

The successful candidates will join a growing cohort of more than 200 apprentices employed by CitiPower and Powercor over the past decade.

Powercor head of operations and delivery Barry David said it was the only opportunity to join a Victorian electricity network business directly as an apprentice lineworker.

“Our apprenticeships provide the best start to what can be a fulfilling and lifelong career,” he said.

“No two days are ever the same as a lineworker. One day you may be replacing poles, upgrading powerlines or connecting the latest renewable project, and then the next you could be responding to a major weather event, helping get the power back on to homes and businesses.”

The new recruits will join a 700-strong in-house field workforce, with the majority of these having started their careers as apprentices with the business. The selection process involves written, practical and interview-based selection criteria. Last year, a record number of women joined the business as apprentices.

“Having the right people in these roles is as essential as the poles and wires that deliver the power,” David said.

“To make sure we are ready for the future, we are building a diverse workforce and want people of all ages, genders and backgrounds to apply.

Related article: Powercor starts construction of new Echuca depot

“We want people with the right attitude, who like working in teams, are committed to safety and are excited about contributing to their local communities. They’ll love outdoor work, they’re happy working at heights in all weather, and enjoy practical, hands-on learning.”

To apply, candidates must have completed, or be completing, Year 11 VCE or VCAL and achieved a pass in General Maths/Numeracy or have completed (or be completing) a pre-apprenticeship TAFE training course in Electrotechnology (Cert II).

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AEMO’s Integrated System Plan (ISP) is a 25-year roadmap for the transition of the National Electricity Market (NEM) power system, outlining essential infrastructure that will meet Australia’s future energy needs.

Related article: Examining the significant issues with LNP’s nuclear plan

The centrepiece of the plan is the optimal development path (ODP)—a mix of replacement grid-scale generation, storage, and transmission, with an annualised capital cost of $122 billion to 2050. The ODP is the least cost path to meet federal and state government energy policies on emissions reductions.

The key messages of the 2024 ISP are consistent with previous editions, which AEMO produces every two years under Australian energy laws.

Those laws also set out what AEMO must address in the ISP. That includes government policies and targets. The ISP does not model nuclear power as it is not government policy and in fact is not permitted by Australia’s current laws.

“Australia’s energy transition is well underway, with renewable energy accounting for 40% of electricity used in the past year,” AEMO CEO Daniel Westerman said.

Consistent with previous reports, the plan identifies almost 10,000km of new transmission lines that are required by 2050 to connect new sources of generation and meet reliability targets at the lowest cost to consumers.

Ten projects, or 2,500km, are already underway, and this plan identifies a further seven projects that should now progress through planning and delivery.

The transmission projects cost $16 billion but are expected to recoup their investment costs and, additionally, save consumers $18.5 billion in avoided energy costs and deliver emissions reductions valued at a further $3.3 billion.

The ISP also said gas would play a crucial energy transition role in back-up electricity generation for sustained periods when renewables are unavailable. Other crucial technologies factored into the roadmap are domestic rooftop solar panels and associated batteries, smart systems and electric vehicles, or what the ISP calls ‘consumer energy resources’.

Home batteries, if well coordinated, can save consumers around $4.1 billion in avoided costs for additional grid-scale investment.

“Consumers are already a driving force in Australia’s energy transition and this is set to continue. If consumer devices like solar panels, batteries and electric vehicles are enabled to actively participate in the energy system, then this will result in lower costs for all consumers,” Westerman said.

The ISP also calls out the challenges and risks to the energy transition. Planned projects are facing delivery challenges, including approval process delays, investment uncertainties, cost pressures, social licence issues, supply chain disruptions, and workforce shortages.

Related article: Fibs about the renewables transition—and the cost of energy

“There is a real risk that replacement generation, storage and transmission may not be available in time when coal plants retire, and this risk must be avoided,” Westerman said.

“This ISP is a clear call to investors, industry and governments for the urgent delivery of generation, storage and transmission to ensure Australian consumers continue to have access to reliable electricity at the lowest cost.”

The post AEMO says renewables “the most efficient path” to net zero appeared first on Energy Source & Distribution.

Sixteen participants from the Legacy 100 program have completed their training on EnergyConnect—Australia’s largest transmission project—and gained valuable qualifications, knowledge and experience in building high-voltage electricity towers and lines.

Related article: Transgrid workers perform challenging clifftop high-wire act

Another 33 participants are currently at various stages of their training under the Legacy 100 program, which allows participants to earn while they learn and gain a Certificate II in Transmission Line Construction.

Transgrid and its EnergyConnect construction partner Elecnor Australia launched Legacy 100 last year as the nation’s first training initiative to boost skills in the power transmission sector across regional NSW.

“We are committed to investing in the nation’s energy workforce to address skills and jobs shortages and support Australia’s great transition to clean energy,” Transgrid executive general manager of major projects Gordon Taylor said.

“Legacy 100 is helping to grow Australia’s own riggers and doggers and reduce reliance on overseas trained workers. Program participants will form the backbone of the future workforce in the transmission tower construction industry as thousands of kilometres of new lines are built to support our renewable energy future.

“I congratulate the first 16 participants to graduate from the Australian-first initiative after completing more than six months of classroom and practical training. They will now continue to build the critical EnergyConnect interconnector which will bring cleaner and cheaper renewable energy to millions of customers.”

The Legacy 100 graduates have diverse backgrounds ranging from the fitness industry, classical music, retail, sheep shearing, mining, carpentry, and logistics. They hail from locations including Albury, Adelaide, Melbourne, Mildura, Sydney and Wagga Wagga.

Graduate Ally Tahau left sheep shearing to join Legacy 100 and isn’t daunted by climbing towers averaging 55m in height.

“We climb towers pretty much every day,” Tahau said.

“I don’t think a lot of us have a problem with the height to be honest. It’s actually nicer up the tower most days, it’s way too hot on the ground. There’s no flies, it’s great. The view is fantastic. It’s hard getting up there but once you’re up there you feel accomplishment.

Related article: Transgrid records highest intake of female graduates

“We have learnt so much with this program. It’s been absolutely fantastic. We’ve got four tickets, we’ve had heaps of on-site experience.

“This has been probably one of the best opportunities I’ve had in my life. I think it’s great for females to be getting out on the job and doing such high-risk work.”

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But is there another way? Are there companies out there that can deliver similar results using different technology at a lower cost? And does this create value for electricity customers?

Related article: Powercor applies for transmission licence in Victoria

That’s what Victorian networks CitiPower and Powercor are hoping to find out, opening up network constraints in a new platform that creates a marketplace for alternatives to traditional poles and wires work.

The online flexibility marketplace was created with global technology provider, Piclo, building from their experience internationally to offer an interactive map of local network constraints, allowing providers to match their solutions to network opportunities close to them.

CitiPower and Powercor will use the flexibility marketplace to offer funding for non-network solution providers network-wide, with several tenders and expressions of interest expected throughout the year asking suppliers to solve constraints at a range of levels and capacities; from as low as a few dozen kilowatts, to tens of megawatts.

The first flexibility tender will offer hundreds of opportunities for providers across the networks to defer the need for upgrades, and expressions of interest are also encouraged for millions of dollars of opportunities into the future.

Powercor head of network planning, Andrew Dinning said he hoped providers would bid into the tenders to deliver competitive options and keep costs low for customers.

“We’re really keen to see how much the market has matured to help us deliver for our customers at a lower cost than our traditional ‘poles and wires’ alternative,” he said.

“This might include batteries, virtual power plants or demand management programs, we’d love to hear what’s out there today.”

Dinning said Powercor’s constraint data was open and transparent and—through the Piclo Flex marketplace—easier to access than ever.

“Our new platform further enhances our transparency with network upgrades,” Dinning said.

“Anyone can use the marketplace, look at sites we plan to upgrade, and see if they can compete with traditional network solutions to solve network constraints.”

Related article: CitiPower begins Melbourne underground power upgrade

Solutions successful in the current tender would be rewarded with multi-year contracts to provide network support that helps to meet the challenges of increasing maximum demand.

The first of the competitions have been made available on the CitiPower and Powercor Flexibility Marketplace now.

A webinar will be hosted on 24 May to provide a live demonstration of the Piclo Flex Platform. Bidding is expected to run until later this year.

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For years, the electricity sector has been the poster child for emissions cuts in Australia. The sector achieved a stunning 26% drop in emissions over the past 15 years, while other sectors have hardly budged. The share of renewable energy has gone from 7.5% to more than 30% in that time.

But unfortunately, this impressive pace is not fast enough.

Investments in renewable energy plants slowed in 2023—financial approvals for new solar farms shrank more than a third and no new wind farms won backing. By the end of that year, Australia had 56 renewable energy projects under construction, down from 72 a year earlier.

For Australia to achieve the federal government’s 43% emissions cut target by 2030, and the deeper and swifter cuts required after that, we need to accelerate. The federal government wants the electricity sector to be generating at least 82% from renewable sources by 2030. The electricity sector needs to be clean enough by that year to make electrification the better choice for sectors heavily dependent on fossil fuels, from transport to heavy industry to household gas.

And it won’t end there. After 2030, when other sectors start to electrify en masse, the electricity sector will need to keep building more and more new renewable capacity to keep up.

If it doesn’t, it simply won’t be possible to eliminate the remaining 56% of our emissions that come from producing and burning fossil fuels. And that’s before Australia even starts looking at expanding its industrial base to become a so-called “renewable superpower”.

There are three reasons the electricity sector isn’t achieving the required pace at the moment.

Related article: For a ‘future made in Australia’, we need more innovation and diverse people in science and tech

Not enough poles and wires

New wind and solar farms need new transmission lines to get their electricity to users. That’s because the good sources of wind and sunshine aren’t in the same places as the existing transmission network. And even if they were, we’d still need to upgrade and build transmission because of the growth in demand.

The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) estimates 50% of the transmission needed to deliver a clean, reliable, affordable energy supply in 2050 needs to be constructed in the next six years.

But most of these transmission lines are yet to be built.

Instead, renewable generators have had to connect to existing lines, which have become congested. So, even when new renewable installations get approvals for construction, their output can be curtailed because they can’t get it to consumers. This has hit developer finances hard.

And many rural communities aren’t happy with the new transmission lines planned for their regions. While many of the required lines have been known about in the energy sector for years, the communities that will host them are only finding out about them now. Understandably, many object.

As well, bottlenecks in the planning approval bureaucracy mean things are slow to get built. This isn’t just about transmission lines: it also applies to new renewable generators and even upgrading roads so equipment and machinery can be used safely.

Coal hanging on

There’s still uncertainty about when coal generators will leave the market.

We need to build replacement capacity for ageing coal generators before they retire but no one wants to build new generators to replace the coal if they aren’t sure when demand for their electricity will emerge.

Generators are required to declare their earliest exit date if that date is less than three-and-a-half years away, but there’s nothing to stop them pushing that date out. That’s what Delta Electricity did last year, when it changed the closure date for the Vales Point power station in New South Wales from 2029 to 2033.

On top of this, nervous state governments have started making opaque deals to pay coal power stations to stay open, as insurance against the slow pace of the renewables build.

Governments aren’t coordinating well

Every state government on the east coast has a renewable energy target. So does the federal government. But these targets were set as arbitrary percentages linked to arbitrary dates, not chosen to deliver the cleanest, most reliable, cheapest energy system for consumers.

State and federal governments choose their targets in isolation, which drives up overall costs. To give just one example: both New South Wales and Queensland have established “renewable energy zones” in New England shire, located right across the border from each other. Developing these areas as a single zone should cost less overall, but no such interstate efficiency has emerged. Each state has gone its own way.

Is there a way out?

All of the above has led to a policy quagmire that has bogged down Australia’s energy transition.

In our report released last month, my colleagues and I argue the best way forward is to temporarily put aside a desire for neat, market-driven policies. Instead, we think governments and industry need to accept an approach that could feel ad hoc or disorganised at times in the next decade while coal exits are taking place.

During this time, governments will probably need to intervene regularly to coordinate new transmission, new generation, and coal exits, so the lights stay on.

Once coal is a no longer a substantial part of the market, it will be time for governments to step back. Beyond 2030, electricity demand is expected to keep growing, and the renewables building task will continue.

Governments need to start designing the rules that will govern this new electricity system. It requires asking a fundamental question: what will the respective roles, rights, and responsibilities of energy consumers, industry, and governments be in the future?

Related article: Without community support, the energy transition will fail. Here’s how to get communities onboard

Keeping the system reliable will be a fundamentally different task when the amount of electricity generated depends on the weather. Market rules must change to ensure there is always sufficient generation available to meet demand in this new electricity system.

And carbon pricing—a political taboo for so long—will need to be discussed again. Even when the coal generators have closed, a vital share of our electricity will come from gas. The electricity sector needs a clear and enduring carbon price for the energy sector to guide gas-plant entries and exits, and ensure they pay for their emissions.

Governments will need to better integrate and orchestrate all forms of distributed energy resources, from rooftop solar panels to electric vehicles, particularly as electric vehicles become able to use their batteries to help power the grid.

Australia may be able to muddle through the next few years, but voters will not forgive their political leaders if they mess up the post-coal era and fail to deliver the trifecta of clean, affordable, and reliable energy. The hard work starts now.

Disclosure statement: Since 2008, Grattan Institute has been supported in its work by government, corporates, and philanthropic gifts. A full list of supporting organisations is published at www.grattan.edu.au. Alison Reeve does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article. In addition to her role at Grattan Institute she is also a Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University’s Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions.

Republished from The Conversation under Creative Commons

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Powercor says introducing competition will deliver lower costs and faster connections for major projects such as solar and wind farms.

Related article: Microgrids for three towns part of Powercor resilience plan

Powercor moves electricity to and from more than 922,000 homes and businesses across the western suburbs of Melbourne and through central and western Victoria to the South Australian and New South Wales borders.

Its network is made up of more than 77,000km of powerlines and more than 602,000 poles and associated infrastructure.

Powercor CEO Tim Rourke said a new transmission provider would provide major businesses and renewable energy proponents more choice when it comes to connecting to Victoria’s electricity grid.

“An additional provider and operator in the market will support more investment, creating the competition needed to significantly drive down transmission connection costs and reduce delivery timelines for people wanting to invest in our state and create jobs in our regional communities,” he said.

“We will be the only provider to offer a full in-house service, from design and planning to construction and maintenance, across both distribution and transmission in western Victoria.

“We are already one of the lowest cost distributors and this will be mirrored within our transmission group.”

If granted the licence, Powercor will deliver transmission infrastructure, including new terminal stations and 220kV powerlines, to connect customer-related projects to the grid.

These projects would include large-scale solar and wind generation, battery storage, data centres and commercial and industrial businesses. It will not be delivering large transmission line corridors.

Related article: Powercor helicopters take to the skies for community safety

Powercor’s distribution network already supports more than 2,625MW of large-scale renewable power and is home to four of Victoria’s six Renewable Energy Zones.

The ESC will be consulting with communities and stakeholders as it reviews Powercor’s application.

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As Australia’s rapid renewable energy rollout continues, so too does debate over land use. Nationals Leader David Littleproud, for example, claimed regional areas had reached “saturation point” and cannot cope with more wind and solar farms and transmission lines.

So how much land is needed to fully decarbonise energy in Australia? When we switch completely to solar and wind, do we have the space for all the panels, turbines and power lines?

I’ve done the sums. All we need is 1,200 square kilometres. That’s not much. The area devoted to agriculture is about 3,500 times larger at 4.2 million square kilometres. The area of land that would be taken away from agriculture works out at about 45 square metres per person—about the size of a large living room.

We can ditch fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse emissions with negligible impact on agriculture. And in many cases, farmers can be paid for hosting renewable energy infrastructure while continuing to run sheep and cows or grow crops.

Related article: Solar grazing sheep flock grows to 6,000 at New England

The challenge of the energy transition

Electricity consumption in Australia is currently about 10 megawatt-hours (MWh) per person per year.

Decarbonising Australia’s economy will require electrifying many technologies that currently derive their power from burning fossil fuels. Then we need to ensure the electricity grid runs entirely on renewables.

When we electrify transport, heating and industry, annual electricity consumption per capita doubles. But we will need even more electricity to decarbonise aviation and shipping. So it’s reasonable to assume electricity consumption must triple if we are to complete decarbonisation, to 30MWh per person per year.

This would logically be achieved in three stages, starting with the easiest to achieve:

Stage 1: Solar and wind displace coal and gas from the electricity system. The federal government target of 82% renewable electricity by 2030 puts us firmly on track to decarbonise electricity. This trend is already well underway as shown by the graph below.

Stage 2: Clean electricity is used to electrify transport (electric vehicles), heating (electric heat pumps) and industrial heat (electric furnaces). This off-the-shelf technology could largely replace petrol and gas within a decade with negligible impact on the cost of running vehicles and heating homes.

Stage 3: The chemical industry is decarbonised. Clean electricity is used to make ammonia, iron, steel, plastics, cement, and synthetic aviation and shipping fuel.
Where will this clean power come from?

Virtually all new generation capacity in Australia over the past decade has been in solar and wind. Together, solar and wind have risen from about 6% of electricity generation in 2014 to 33% today. Solar and wind provide the cheapest electricity.

Most solar power in Australia today comes from rooftop solar panels. These panels don’t require any extra land. But the area of rooftop is limited. In coming years, ground-mounted solar farms will become ever more important.

We’ll also need more wind farms. Each wind farm contains dozens of turbines and spans dozens of square kilometres. But only a small fraction of the land is lost to farming.
And it’s best to spread the solar farms and wind farms throughout the settled areas of Australia, to reduce the effect of local cloud and wind lulls.

Most solar and wind farms are located on sheep and cattle farms inland from the Great Dividing Range. Here there is plenty of sun and wind, and it’s not too far away to transmit electricity to the cities via high-voltage powerlines.

So how much land do we need?

Typically, only about 1% of land covered by a windfarm is actually lost to farming. In most cases, farmers run livestock or continue cropping around the turbine towers and access roads.

Similarly, because solar panels are spaced apart, the area spanned by a solar farm is often two to three times the actual area of the panels themselves.

The panels are typically spaced to avoid losses from shading. As an added bonus, it means rain and sunlight can fall between them, allowing grass to grow and livestock to graze and shelter.

About 10,000km of new transmission lines will also be required for the energy transition. This sounds like a lot but amounts to just 37cm per person.

Again, the area of land that would be taken away from agriculture for wind turbine towers and access roads is relatively small.

A further small area of land will be dedicated to new storage such as pumped hydro power and batteries.

The total area spanned by the solar farms, wind farms and all the other infrastructure is about 22,000 square kilometres (mostly the land between the turbines in windfarms). But agriculture could continue largely as normal on most of this land.

By my calculations, the total area taken away from agriculture to power a 100% renewable energy (zero fossil fuel) economy is about 45 square metres per person. Considering Australia’s total population of 27 million people, that means the total land area required is 1,200 square kilometres. The area currently devoted to agriculture is about 3,500 times larger than this.

Farmers can earn extra income

Mining companies are often permitted to mine land without the consent of the landowner.
Solar and wind farm developers do not have the same rights. They must agree on lease fees with landowners before gaining access to land. These fees are typically tens of thousands of dollars per year per turbine.

In the case of transmission lines, hosts in Victoria are paid AUD$200,000 per kilometre over eight years.

The transition to renewable energy has attracted opposition from some residents living near proposed infrastructure. But this can be overcome.

Successful solar and wind farm companies gain community acceptance through genuine transparency, particularly early in the project, to ensure no information vacuum is created and then filled with misinformation.

Paying neighbours as well as the renewable energy host farm, and establishing community funds, is also helpful.

Related article: Australia now has a $70 ‘shadow price’ on carbon emissions. Here’s why we won’t see a real price any time soon

Plenty of land to share

The expansion of renewable energy infrastructure will be concentrated in Australia’s regional areas. But we can also expect new energy capacity from elsewhere, such as expanded rooftop solar and new offshore wind farms, which reduces the amount of land needed for the energy transition.

The location of good areas for solar and wind farms is shown in the Australian National University’s renewable energy heatmaps, which takes account of the solar and wind resources, proximity to transmission lines, and protected land. Farmers in areas coloured red can command higher prices for leasing land to solar and wind farm companies.

In short, Australia has far more than enough land to host the solar farms and wind farms required for the renewable energy revolution.

Disclosure statement: Andrew Blakers receives funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Republished from The Conversation under Creative Commons

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Transgrid took out the Asset Management Cost, Risk, Performance Award for using drones for transmission line maintenance inspections.

Related article: Transgrid drones take flight to inspect transmission lines

Transgrid executive general manager of network Marie Jordan said: “We’re thrilled that Transgrid has been recognised for embracing technology which is not only helping us work more efficiently but is also removing our people from potential risks.”

“This award is testament to the diligence and dedication of our transmission line asset management and maintenance teams and the critical work they do to keep our network operating safely and reliably for the community.

“Transgrid has achieved success in all of the award categories over the past six years, which really demonstrates our asset management is world class in cost, risk and performance, as well as safety, innovation, diversity, information and sustainability,” she said.

Each year as part of Transgrid’s comprehensive maintenance program 6,500 towers and structures across the 13,000km of transmission lines are inspected. In the past workers that required workers climbing structures to assess their condition.

Last year Transgrid began deploying Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems or drones to inspect steel lattice towers and steel and concrete poles across the NSW and ACT transmission network.

Since the program began Transgrid has inspected 2,200 towers and structures using drones.

“I’m really proud of how our teams have embraced this technology as part of Transgrid’s commitment to safety and to continuously improving our processes so we can deliver better outcomes for the community,” Jordan said.

The rollout of the technology came after several years of development and successful trials which compared traditional climbing inspections with drone capability.

The trials found drone inspections can deliver efficiencies compared to traditional climbing inspections while also significantly improving safety for workers.

Related article: Drones to replace helicopters for powerline inspections

Using drones also reduces the impact on communities by limiting the need to access private properties to do asset inspections.

Transgrid said the drone program is also helping the network digitise information collected and create a high-resolution picture of the asset conditions over time which will support longer-term plans to use artificial intelligence to help detect potential defects.

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The Transgrid Discovery Hub at Wagga Wagga provides an engaging and inviting space for community members, landowners, and businesses to understand more about the transition to renewable energy and our major projects EnergyConnect, HumeLink, and VNI West, which are centred in the Riverina.

Related article: Transgrid records highest intake of female graduates

Transgrid CEO Brett Redman said, “Wagga Wagga is at the heart of our renewable energy transformation and we want to make a positive difference and provide tangible and enduring benefits to the local community.

“This new hub, which is the only one of its kind on our vast network, will transform the way we engage with regional communities as we plan and build the critical transmission infrastructure needed to support Australia’s clean energy transition.

“Transgrid is proud to open this new gateway to our organisation, cementing the Riverina’s critical role in enabling our renewable energy future and ensuring the local community seizes the many social and economic benefits it brings.”

The new hub comprises:

• A one-stop shop for visitors to engage with Transgrid and access information about our energy vision, major projects, employment and training opportunities, operations, and community-based activities
• Facilities for use by community groups for meetings, workshops, and conferences
• A discovery space for school students to explore power generation, electricity transmission, the transition to renewables, and careers in the energy sector through visual and interactive experiences
• A yarning circle to provide a culturally appropriate space to ensure recognition and active inclusion of First Nations people and acknowledge our presence on Wiradjuri Country
• An electric vehicle charging station and a solar-powered Wi-Fi and mobile phone/device charging bench for use by the local community during business hours.

Related article: Transgrid takes to the skies for bushfire prevention program

Redman said, “This exciting new Hub will provide fun and interactive educational experiences for school students, a permanent engagement location for landowners, opportunities for local businesses to secure supply contracts, and quality facilities for use by community members and not-for-profit groups.

“I encourage everyone to make the most of this fantastic new community asset and visit the Transgrid Discovery Hub today.”

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Connecting cheap, clean energy from renewables comes with a hidden cost and challenge: building 5,000km of new transmission lines this decade, and another 5,000km after that. This sounds like a lot, but 5,000km is only around 10% of the existing grid network, and unlocks more than 32GW of new clean energy capacity by 2030.

The problem is, communities are often not sold on having to host new transmission lines. As the recent review of community engagement by renewable and transmission companies demonstrates, this is because it wasn’t explained well to these communities as to why it’s needed and how they can benefit.

We already know uncertainty undermines the social licence for big projects. And we know public engagement is vital in translating national policies into local impacts.

Related article: Research shows only one in eight Aussies gets ‘net zero’

In my research, I work with RE-Alliance, a community organisation working to help local communities actually benefit from the energy transition. In the course of this research, rural residents often say they would like to host wind turbines on their property. But we have seen those same residents oppose new transmission line projects—without realising the wind farm will not be viable without this infrastructure.

When these projects succeed, it’s because developers engage early and often with communities, showing them why the project matters to society—and to them.
Projects are much more likely to succeed when communities feel the project is theirs or includes them.

Community pushback could scupper the green transition

Community scepticism is not unique to Australia.

More than two-thirds of Americans favour renewables over fossil fuels. But when it comes to actually building them, opposition is common. Around 300 wind, solar and transmission projects are being delayed by local opposition, stalling AUD $132 billion of investments and 74,000 jobs.

In some respects this is understandable. Communities can bristle if they feel a project is imposed on them—especially if it feels like a cost without benefits.

Developers who engage with communities from the beginning and work to tackle concerns and issues collectively have a better chance of success. Equitable sharing of benefits can help.

Focus on local benefits

Almost 20 new renewable projects are planned in Victoria’s Wimmera Southern Mallee region near the Grampians. Until now, solar farms in this flat, sunny region have been hamstrung by a lack of transmission lines. But some local residents are strongly sceptical of transmission projects, which means some renewable projects can’t proceed.

Even so, progress is being made, due in part to the efforts of regional development organisation, Wimmera Southern Mallee Development, to broker between community and developers. As the organisation’s CEO Chris Souness told me: “Renewable energy will thrive [in this region] if developers and communities collaborate, the interests of the farming communities and rural towns are supported, and the benefits flow to communities.”

The region is in need of jobs, more diverse industries, workforce reskilling, and better housing stock. These are all things renewable and transmission projects can help provide.
It’s a similar story in the South West Renewable Energy Zone in New South Wales, one of several laid out by the state government to boost efficiency by grouping big solar and wind projects with existing or new transmission lines.

The zone has led to a renewable gold rush, as developers scout for good locations. But what does it mean for people? The Hay Shire Council last year asked its 3,000 residents what they thought.

The council took the lead on consultation to increase community influence and make clear to renewable developers what the community does and does not want. The alternative was to have many developers running their own consultation efforts.

The consultation revealed some residents felt overwhelmed by the interest from developers. Others worried wind and solar farms could damage the local environment. Would there be enough housing for workers, given the existing housing crisis? And what about the visual impact of large transmission lines? In the consultation document, council staff note: “It is very important that the development of renewable energy projects in Hay Shire happens ‘with’ our community, not ‘to’ our community.”

How do we do better when time is so short?

The conundrum we face is we know we need to do better, but we have only a narrow window of time to green the grid.

One avenue is to focus on the long-term prosperity of these projects, both for landowners hosting them and for the broader community. Local leadership here is essential, as are First Nations voices and leadership in clean energy.

For farmers battling increasingly volatile growing and grazing conditions due to climate change, renewables offer new income streams. Typical payments by wind companies are now more than AUD$40,000 per turbine per year.

Many farmers host dozens of turbines while still farming sheep or cattle. For solar projects, farmers can earn around $1,500 per hectare per year in rent and can keep running sheep under the panels. Landowners willing to host new high voltage transmission lines can get payments from $200,000 to $300,000 a kilometre depending on the state.

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But we will also need national action.

The federal government must find ways of better communicating their plans at local level. Explain why we need to do this, what the benefits are to communities, and why transmission is key.

The government could consider a CSIRO-based research centre focused on environment, technology and social outcomes in the energy transition.

And the government could invest in local energy hubs where people can ask questions, get information, and find out ways of sharing benefits. These hubs could work alongside existing project shopfronts, such as the ENGIE hub in Hay.

As James Joyce wrote, mistakes are the portals of discovery. We need to learn quickly from the early opposition so we can avoid repeating our mistakes.

Disclosure statement: Dr Simon Wright is a member of RE-Alliance, a not-for-profit  advocacy organisation focused on the clean energy transition in the regions.

Republished from The Conversation under Creative Commons

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The Infrastructure Sustainability Council has awarded Australia’s largest transmission project the highest Design Rating of ‘Leading’.

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Transgrid CEO Brett Redman said, “Transgrid and our construction partner Elecnor Australia are going above and beyond to set the benchmark in sustainability best practice for the future pipeline of energy transmission projects across the country.

“We are delivering real sustainability outcomes with innovative solutions to reducing our carbon footprint, minimising the use of energy and water, protecting valuable biodiversity, decreasing waste, and building in resilience against forecast climate impacts.

“Transgrid is delivering the nation’s transition to a clean energy future in a sustainable way by designing and constructing our critical transmission infrastructure to optimise environmental, social and economic outcomes.”

Key sustainability measures being implemented on EnergyConnect include:

• A 35% reduction in clearing on the western alignment (South Australian border to Buronga) and 11% decrease on the eastern section (Buronga to Wagga) to preserve valuable biodiversity including trees up to 1,000 years old. Hundreds of thousands of trees have been physically inspected by arborists to assess their archaeological, ecological and cultural significance. Many trees including Aboriginal scar trees have been retained within the transmission line easement while still complying with vegetation clearance requirements. Annual inspections will ensure the lines stay clear to prevent bushfires.
• Using guyed towers that require 21% less steel and 15% less concrete to construct compared to conventional self-supporting structures.
• Locating transmission line structures to avoid valuable biodiversity and culturally sensitive sites.
• The use of low carbon concrete in tower footings and substations. Contractors are required to use concrete with 35% supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) and 30% replacement of virgin fine aggregate with manufactured sand (where available).
• Replacing tree hollows with nestboxes to provide fauna habitat for local species, with more than 1,500 installed on the western alignment, and thousands more to follow on the eastern section.
• A 31% reduction in construction water use by using non-water based dust suppression alternatives and grey water from worker accommodation camps.
• A 78% replacement of potable water with non-potable sources including treated grey water from worker accommodation camps.
• Enduring benefits for local communities along the project alignment including the multi-million-dollar Legacy 100 program to train Australia’s own transmission line construction workforce and a $2 million scholarship fund for engineering students at Charles Sturt University.
• Reducing waste to landfill including recycling 400 tonnes of wooden pallets and 50,000 cans and bottles from worker accommodation camps.

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Infrastructure Sustainability Council acting CEO Patrick Hastings congratulated the EnergyConnect team and Transgrid on achieving a Leading IS Design Rating.

“Through this project they have demonstrated their commitment to sustainability by being the first to achieve a Design Rating on a transmission project. EnergyConnect is well-positioned to deliver an asset that will provide a positive ecological benefit while also minimising its contribution to GHG emissions. This is a monumental step for transmission projects and an encouraging sign of progression in the sector,” he said.

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