The Transgrid project - referred to as VNI West - will run from near Jerilderie to Swan Hill.
Until now, only broadly mapped ‘corridor’ routes which took in large parts of Jerilderie, Conargo, Wanganella and Moulamein had been released.
Four specific transmission line options were released in the latest Transgrid report last week, ahead of community consultation meetings this week.
The preferred route - known as option C - gives a wide berth of Jerilderie and the villages of Wanganella and Conargo, but runs quite close to the Moulamein township.
The route was chosen because it “best caters to local constraints identified by stakeholders and the community”, according to the report.
“Route C is the northern most option,” the report said.
“It runs in a north-south direction from the NSW/Victoria border towards the west of the Moulamein township before turning east around the north of the town of Moulamein.
“The route then travels in a generally east-west direction to the Dinawan substation, following existing infrastructure, such as Maude Road, Wanganella Moulamein Road, Mabins Well Road, and existing property boundaries.”
In listing its reasons as to why this is the preferred route, the report offered six main points.
Chief among them was that it would “avoid coming close to the least number of houses, providing the greatest opportunity to minimise visual disturbance”
It also suggested the chosen route would have the lowest impact on agricultural land, previously identified Aboriginal sites and existing waterways, and be further away from sensitive ecological environments.
But Moulamein landholders in particular say the route still needs some work.
They are questioning why the transmission line has to run so close to the townships, with mapping showing towers within 2km of the town’s centre.
Transgrid;s plans were originally revealed in July last year, with concerns raised by affected communities and landholders since then including the impact on agricultural production, fire risks and potential health risks.
Landholders have also expressed concern about the impact the network will have on the value of their land, and on aerial agricultural services which are widely used in this part of the Riverina.
According to the report, the proposed route pathway crosses 17 named major water courses.
Fourteen threatened flora species listed under the EPBC act or listed as Serious and Irreversible Impact (SAII) under the BC Act that have also been identified during desktop analysis.
The same analysis reportedly also identified 30 threatened fauna species as high biodiversity constraints - two amphibians, 18 avifauna, two mammals, two reptiles and six fish.
Predictive modelling also identified a number of high, medium and low potential areas for identifying Aboriginal heritage.
In releasing the report, Transgrid project director Colin Mayer strongly encouraged people to “review the information and provide us with their feedback on this critical transmission project”.
“This report outlines all options, the benefits and risks for each (of the four route options) and the community and stakeholder consultation which supported the process,” he said.
VNI West public meetings are being held in Moulamein today, Deniliquin on Thursday and Jerilderie on Friday.
These will be followed by a series of drop-in sessions across these communities.
Details about meetings times and locations can be found on page 5 of today’s edition.
The route report can be viewed at www.transgrid.com.au/projects-innovation/vni-west.
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