Powerline win but at a cost

By Melissa Grant
“HERE’S our hero.”
Dairy farmer John Coleman’s welcome to Alan Fraser, Power Grid Option Group chairman, on Monday echoed the sentiment of farmers in the Cardinia Shire.
They have described Mr Fraser as their saviour, after he played a major role in getting the State Government to abandon plans for overhead pylons – a prospect that could’ve seen many farmers go under.
In June 2008, farmers’ livelihoods were under threat when the State Government announced that overhead lines from Wonthaggi to a sub-station in Tynong was one of three options it was considering as a power source for the Wonthaggi desalination plant.
Things looked grim that August when Spring Street listed overhead powerlines as its first choice for the plant in the project’s Environmental Effects Statement (EES).
But there were sighs of relief when the Gazette visited a group of farmers on Monday; just days after Victorian Premier John Brumby announced that underground power had been secured.
Cora Lynn potato farmer Col Hobson praised the work of Mr Fraser and the PGOG in ensuring the lines were buried.
“I couldn’t speak highly enough of Mr Fraser’s work – he’s certainly saved the future of farming in this area,” Mr Hobson said.
The underground power supply will be High Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) technology, co-located within the easement of the transfer pipeline.
The route extends from the plant site in Wonthaggi to an existing high-voltage overhead powerline easement at Pound Road, Clyde North. From there it will travel to an existing terminal station in Cranbourne.
Mr Fraser was simply happy that residents and landholders along the proposed northerly grid corridor could finally relax after more than a year of stress.
“The very real threat of ugly power pylons dominating the landscape and decimating property values has now vanished,” he said.
Mr Fraser said work to the value of $400,000 had been done for the group, which was trying to raise about $60,000 to help cover some expenses.
“We are still trying to cover some costs that were incurred along the journey,” he said.
“We hope that landholders will understand it was an extensive campaign right at the highest level and that they will put their hands in their pockets.”
The PGOG had more than 50 professional meetings as it rallied MPs and other government officials to put the powerlines beneath the earth.
It began as an uphill battle, with the State Government initially estimating the underground option to would cost two to four times as much as overhead powerlines.
Things took a dramatic turn in May when Mr Brumby announced his government preferred the underground power option. But, he also stated that this wouldn’t eventuate if the bidders’ submissions on the option were too costly or placed a major constraint on the project.
Now there is no looking back – and farmers won’t have to look up at intrusive pylons – with consortium AquaSure committing to the underground route.