Evaluating Transmission Undergrounding
What is the initiative?
- Validate community concerns, considerations and expectations for how the viability of underground compared to overhead transmission designs are evaluated by transmission businesses
- Co-develop a shared knowledge and evidence-base, including Better Practice approaches to assessing and evaluating social costs and mitigating impacts
- Identify and address public information and evidence gaps, sources of (dis)information and practice (in)consistencies and deliver accessible information to landholders and communities.
Where are we up to?
Resource Hub: Understanding Australian Energy Transmission Projects
Through a series of collaborative workshops with community, agriculture and consumer representatives, resources were created to address knowledge gaps and topics of interest to inform landholders and communities about overhead and underground transmission infrastructure development.
These resources have been created to help landholders and community members learn more about underground and overhead transmission projects and decision-making processes.
Access a range of factsheets on the Understanding Australian Energy Transmission Projects Resource Hub to learn more about:
- Community engagement in decision-making
- Overhead and underground technologies explained
- Transmission and agriculture
- Transmission and bushfire
- Social and environmental considerations
- Respecting First Nations’ culture and heritage
A massive thank you to everyone who co-developed these resources including: Community Power Agency, Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW, Farm Renewables, Farmers for Climate Action, Gippsland Climate Change Network, Justice and Equity Centre and RE-Alliance, independent representatives Joy Thomas (Independent Chair Ag + Energy Roundtable) and Rod Stowe (Independent Community Advocate NSW) and in consultation with the Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner. Thank you also to WSP who assisted with technical aspects of electricity transmission.
Why does this initiative matter?
This #BetterTogether initiative builds on previous collaborations between transmission businesses, community and agricultural representatives to deliver the Landholder & Community Better Practice Engagement Guide and Better Practice Social Licence Guideline.
Specifically, the Better Practice Social Licence Guideline included the below commitment from transmission collaborators.
Consider undergrounding when it is a viable option as part of community and landholder consultation. Investigation reports and supporting analysis, including the challenges, benefits and impacts of overhead compared to underground transmission designs from a landholder, community, environmental, technical, and cost perspective should be completed and made publicly available. In some instances, it may be preferable for research to be conducted by an independent party with appropriate expertise. It is also important that this information be well circulated with communities, this could include through direct community and landholder engagement and project newsletters.
What are the Customer + Community outcomes?
All #BetterTogether initiatives are founded in collaboration with the purpose of delivering against one to the Energy Charter’s five Principles. This Evaluating Transmission Undergrounding initiative focuses on:
Principle 1: We will put customers at the centre of our business and the energy system
We will put customers at the centre of our decision making by:
- Genuinely listening to understand landholder and community expectations and the social costs associated with overhead compared to underground transmission designs
- Mitigating social impacts as far as possible, including working to identify Better Practice alternatives and solutions
- Being transparent on the decision-making process, including how social costs are evaluated and considered.
Principle 4: We will improve the customer experience
We will improve the experience of host communities by collaborating with community representatives and stakeholders to ensure host communities have access to clear, consistent, relevant, credible, evidence-based information on how undergrounding is considered.
Who is collaborating on this initiative?
Transmission businesses, community and agricultural representatives have again committed to work #BetterTogether to improve the experience of those impacted by transmission development.
Community Outcomes Group
Australian Energy Infrastructure Commission, Community Power Agency, Karin Stark (Farm Renewables), Rod Stowe (NSW Landholder and Community Advocate), RE-Alliance and members of the Ag Energy Taskforce, which includes: Bundaberg Regional Irrigators Group, National Farmers’ Federation, National Irrigators Council, NSW Farmers, Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association, Queensland Farmers’ Federation and Victorian Farmers Federation.
Transmission and Energy Industry Collaborators
Full Signatories: Transgrid (NSW), Powerlink Queensland (QLD), AusNet Services (VIC) and TasNetworks (TAS)
#BetterTogether Collaborator: Marinus Link (VIC/TAS)
Supporter: Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) Victorian Planning (VIC)
Non-Signatory: ElectraNet (SA).
Several other organisations have been invited to observe and provide feedback at key stages, as important stakeholders in the outcomes of this collaboration.
Better Practice Social Licence
Engaging meaningfully with landholders and affected communities is essential the putting the social licence principles of procedural fairness and partnership into practice. The Better Practice Guide to Landholder and Community Engagement underpins the Better Practice Social Licence Guideline.
Want to learn more about this #BetterTogether initiative?
If you would like to learn more about the #BetterTogether initiative on Landholder and Community Social Licence, or join the Community Outcomes Group, please reach out to Heather Wagland, Director, Energy Transition.