As we have previously advised our members, the Moorabool and Central Highlands Power Alliance (the Alliance) filed an application in the Supreme Court of Victoria  on 23 December 2022 to quash the 4 November 2022  decision by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) that the Western Renewables Link (WRL) Project remains the best way to resolve transmission issues in Western Victoria.

The Court set the date of 22 February 2023 for a Directions Hearing to make orders regarding the legal action’s next steps. Before then, and as encouraged by the Court, the Alliance’s legal team consulted with AEMO’s lawyers to agree on a procedural timetable, doing away with the need for this initial Hearing. The lawyers for both parties had reached agreement on the proposed timetable and were waiting for Court approval when the process was disrupted by the publication on 20 February 2023 of a Ministerial Order from the Victorian Government in relation to the VNI West and WRL projects.

The reasons why the Ministerial Order was made are given on pp.7-8 of the document and explain that the Government is using the Order to ensure the ‘timely delivery’ of VNI West including investigating alternative connection points into WRL (the location of the terminal station) and allowing associated changes to WRL.

The Order is also being used to manage so-called ‘delay risks’ and it does this by stating that important clauses from both the National Electricity (Victoria) Law and the National Electricity Rules do not apply for these projects. The Order clearly seeks to stop our Supreme Court action.

This entire Order is an extraordinary step for the Government to have taken and sets a worrying precedent for the future as it removes important checks and balances from the process and fast-tracks enormous projects with major impacts on landowners and communities.

Because the Alliance’s legal team needed to thoroughly assess the potential impact of the Order on the legal action, the lawyers for both parties agreed to set aside the agreed procedural timetable as well as adjourn the original 22 February 2023 Directions Hearing. The matter was scheduled to return to Court on 8 March 2023, but this has now been adjourned to 5 April 2023 to allow the Alliance’s legal team sufficient time to fully determine the most appropriate next steps.  This is a complicated matter.

We will provide further updates on the legal action as information becomes available.

In the meantime, the VNI West Consultation Report was published on 23 February 2023 and identified a preferred option for that transmission line project which has implications for the WRL including all 104km of its proposed 220kV lines being uprated to 500kV due to relocation of the terminal station to Bulgana.  AEMO is now undertaking a 6-week consultation period. We will publish a Newsletter about all of this shortly.

For a previous Newsletter we published on VNI West (and a downloadable pdf with additional information) please see here.

On Thursday 23rd March, 2023 at 7:00pm we will be holding an in person Community Information Session, where all are welcome.

There will be a focus on our Legal Fight and an opportunity for community members to ask question of the Alliance.

Following the information session, we will hold our AGM. The AGM will be a members only event and papers including our Annual Report will be distributed to members ahead of the meeting. If you want to become a member and attend the meeting please click here.

Community Information Session and AGM

• Thursday 23rd March 2023 at 7:00pm
• Springbank Football and Netball Club Rooms
• Located at Ormond Road Wallace, Vic, 3352