Plans for the Hunter Transmission project (HTP) have been redesigned to allow 85 per cent of the new infrastructure to be on power station, government and mining land, following community consultation.
The number of potentially affected private landowners has been reduced from 78 (in the preliminary corridor) to less than 25 (in the revised corridor).
The project involves construction of new overhead 500kV transmission infrastructure that is urgently needed by 2028 as the remaining coal-fired power stations retire. It will transport electricity from the New England and Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zones to homes and businesses in the Hunter, Sydney and Illawarra.
The corridor between Bayswater and Eraring has been refined thanks to early feedback sought by The Energy Corporation of NSW (EnergyCo) to ensure community views and local knowledge help shape the project.
Avoiding Cooranbong and Martinsville in HTP South is made possible by building a new substation on a site in the Olney State Forest that was previously used for growing commercial timber. The new Olney substation means the corridor will be approximately 15km shorter at 100km.
There will also be fewer impacts to private land in HTP North and Central.
The revised corridor minimises impacts in parts of the state forests that are culturally significant for the Aboriginal community and traditional owners, including scenic landscapes or sightlines.
EnergyCo’s priority is ongoing engagement with landowners in the revised corridor to minimise impacts and protect the environment.
A scoping report for the project has been lodged with the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure.
EnergyCo CEO, James Hay, said that EnergyCo received more than 250 submissions on the Hunter Transmission Project preliminary corridor and that they have helped to shape the revised corridor.
“We needed local community input early to get the corridor right,” Mr Hay said.
“We need the Hunter Transmission Project so we all have reliable power. We’ll continue to work to find the best possible solution that minimises impacts to people and the environment.”
Image: Vladimir Konstantinov/shutterstock.com
