UNDERGROUNDING MUST BE PART OF ENERGY MIX

The Independent Member for Wagga Wagga, Dr Joe McGirr, has acknowledged the findings and recommendations in a new report by the Select Committee investigating the feasibility of undergrounding infrastructure for renewable energy infrastructure. 

 Dr McGirr said the recommendation that “the NSW Government commission an independent assessment into the costs and benefits of undergrounding transmission infrastructure technology” was welcome, if too late. 

  “All along, communities badly affected by the HumeLink project have called for the power lines to be undergrounded, but those appeals fell on deaf ears,” Dr McGirr said. 

 “That was symptomatic of the failed so-called consultation with affected residents in which their views were largely ignored, so I’m pleased the committee found transmission providers and Energy Co should have improved their consultation when performing environmental impact assessments.” 

 Dr McGirr said the poor consultation meant the developers failed to gain the social licence needed to make renewables infrastructure successful, while there was also a failure to account for environmental impacts and costs to consumers. 

 “Our state – and in particular the landowners in the path of renewable energy infrastructure – have been let down by a poor regulatory system and now many people in my electorate are left to carry the burden,” he said. 

“The committee report goes some way to redressing the failures by acknowledging points we have been making all along and confirming that undergrounding should be a part of our energy mix going forward. 

 “Although this report does not address the challenge of HumeLink, and many will be disappointed, it does at least progress the debate by acknowledging the potential role and feasibility of undergrounding. 

 “Had the developers opened their minds to undergrounding, these projects might be sailing ahead with the enthusiastic support of local communities, not with their bitter opposition.” 

  Dr McGirr agreed with the dissenting view by committee member, Upper House MLC Wes Fang, who said Transgrid should conduct a full reassessment of the HumeLink project to consider all construction methods and a wider definition of its costs to communities. 

  “Renewable energy is a good thing, but it must be affordable both personally and financially for consumers and most importantly, those in the path of infrastructure must be listened to and their concerns acted upon,” Dr McGirr said. 

  “If developers want the social licence their projects need to succeed, they must earn it, not force their will upon people, so I’m looking forward to pressing governments and industry to act upon the findings in this report and get it right in the future.”