North West Transmission Developments

The City of Wagga Wagga in the Riverina region of New South Wales is an important agricultural hub of Australia and was the perfect place to hold The Energy Charter’s 3rd National Landholder Engagement Training recently.

Three members of the North West Transmission Developments project team travelled to Wagga Wagga to meet with other Transmission Network Service Providers, akin to TasNetworks, for a jam-packed agenda both in a classroom style setting as well as site visits to farms in the region and an operational solar grid. Throughout the sessions attendees gained valuable insights from landholders, land agents and community engagement leaders as they discussed community concerns and improvements in the practice of communication and engagement.

Sonya Booth, NWTD Regional Engagement Coordinator, said “Having the chance to connect with other Land Agents from Victoria, NSW and Queensland was incredibly valuable, as was participating in learnings that promoted the importance of respectful engagement with communities and impacted landholders.

“It was also very moving to meet with a fifth-generation farmer on his land on which transmission lines are being built and to hear him reflect about his journey with the project, including about how positive outcomes had been reached through a collaborative approach about the positioning of towers.

“By working together, the landholder said the impacts on his land uses and on his neighbour’s visual amenity had been improved.

“Getting to the construction phase had been a long journey for this landholder and he was clear about the need for infrastructure proponents to prioritise working well with landholders and to be fair and transparent in all dealings” Sonya explained.

TasNetworks created and hosted the inaugural land agent training course just over a year ago and we remain committed to improving our engagement and communication practices. Our team returned feeling inspired to continue supporting NWTD landholders with new skills and knowledge as we work together towards achieving shared value outcomes for everyone.

The coastal waters of north west Tasmania have been made safer just in time for summer thanks to the purchase of new radios for the vessel of Marine Rescue Ulverstone.

Marine Rescue Ulverstone, a volunteer run organisation and significant resource for the community, has been successful in obtaining funding through TasNetworks’ Community Grants Program, to purchase and install a set of new VHF radios in their purpose-built rescue vessel.

Marine Rescue Ulverstone provide emergency response on the water including search and rescue, assistance to mariners in non-emergency situations, operational support to a range of community events, and education about boating safety.

The new radios will enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the vessel’s communication with reliable, instant and effective communication pivotal in emergency responses. We were pleased to check out the newly installed radios onboard the vessel on display at the Wynyard Tulip Festival recently and to hear firsthand from Marine Rescue Ulverstone’s Commanding Officer Anthony as he explained how important and impactful the radios will be.

TasNetworks recognises the critical role that volunteer organisations like Marine Rescue Ulverstone offer to the community and our support aims to build local resilience and prioritise the health and wellbeing of coastal and rural Tasmanian communities.

TasNetworks has submitted the Contingent Project Application (CPA) to the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) to obtain the revenue allowances necessary to undertake early works associated with Stage 1 of the North West Transmission Developments (NWTD).

Undertaking early works activities provide confidence to customers that they will pay no more than the efficient cost of delivering Stage 1 of the NWTD.

TasNetworks has chosen to stage the cost recovery process by submitting multiple CPAs for the first stage of the NWTD. The first CPA (CPA 1) seeks to recover early works costs and the second CPA (CPA 2) will be for construction costs. CPAs are necessary for large investments that are made outside of TasNetworks’ standard business as usual expenditure.

The total capital expenditure associated with early works is $151.92M (net of Australian Government grant funding).

Although the CPA includes indicative revenue and price impacts, these do not reflect the benefits of the concessional financing that TasNetworks is pursuing with the Clean Energy Finance Corporation. These benefits will be passed onto customers once TasNetworks has a concessional financing agreement in place.

The AER now has up to 100 business days to make their determination on the efficiency and prudency of our costs.

See TasNetworks’ CPA submission here.

Recently, members of our Planning and Environment and Engineering teams visited sites along the proposed route for stage 1 of the NWTD. The purpose of the site visits was to inspect areas with complex requirements, such as sites with registered artefacts/heritage listed structures, landslip prone areas, rail crossings, access tracks, and bridges (both under and over).

It was invaluable for the Planning and Environment team to be able to put the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Development Application (DA) into context, as they were able to see the sites firsthand, discuss complexities with our engineers and consider possible solutions.

The knowledge and understanding gained from the visits will feed into the final edits of the EIS/DA and support community consultation sessions, planned prior to submission.

The Burnie Works BIG Science Fair was held at the UTAS Cradle Coast Campus earlier this month. The Science Fair provides an opportunity for students in years 5 to 12 living in Northwest Tasmania to develop their understanding of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Maths (STEAM) by undertaking a real-life project.

NWTD project engineers, Rob and Ronan, volunteered to be judges at this year’s BIG Science Fair. They said their favourite projects among those presented included testing which heights of store shelves sold more chocolates, sterilising E. coli colonies with electric currents, and predicting the landing sites of water eruptions on one of Saturn’s moons.

“For many students, this was their first ever opportunity to have a scientific discussion with a professional working in STEAM, and it felt very meaningful to provide this opportunity to them. Many of the students have plans to become scientists, electricians, engineers, and more,” Ronan said.

NWTD is pleased to support these young people as they embark on their STEAM journey. Our BIG congratulations goes to Cameron B, pictured receiving the NWTD sponsored ‘STEM Explorer of the Year’ award from Sonya Booth, NWTD Regional Engagement Coordinator at the prize giving ceremony.

Further information about the event can be found at BIG Science Fair - Burnie Works

4th & 5th October 2024, 9am - 5pm
Agriplex, 329 Ridgley Highway, Romaine

Come along to enjoy the atmosphere of the Burnie show with a wide variety of attractions, farm animals and exhibits to keep the entire family entertained for hours. Drop by the TasNetworks stall for a chat with our friendly NWTD team members while the kids have a go on our fun renewable bike STEAM activity. We hope to see you there!

Other upcoming engagement:
Tulip Festival, Wynyard, Sat 12 Oct

If you are not able to make it along, you can ask questions anytime by emailing us at nwtd@tasnetworks.com.au

To align with the revised timing of Marinus Link’s Stage 1 Final Investment Decision (FID), North West Transmission Developments (NWTD) has also adjusted the timing of its Stage 1 FID from December 2024 to May 2025.

Importantly, the revised approach does not impact NWTD’s Stage 1 construction schedule to commence in 2026, and the expected completion date of 2029 remains unchanged.

Marinus Link adjusted the timing of its Stage 1 FID for greater certainty of key project aspects, such as procurement, environmental permits and land access.

The North West Transmission Developments project is close to reaching an important procurement milestone, with the team currently in negotiations with a preferred head contractor.

Engaging local Tasmanian businesses to assist in the delivery of the project is a key objective to sustain and support Tasmania’s economy. The head contractor will be required to plan for the engagement of Tasmanian businesses under their Tasmanian Industry Participation Plan, and report to TasNetworks on its implementation during the life of the project.

The tender documentation outlined specific requirements through a Tasmanian Industry Participation Plan to ensure that the head contractor will engage Tasmanian businesses.

The head contractor has been provided with the list of suppliers who have registered an expression of interest to be involved in the project, and will be required to take on management of the ICN portal for the project.

Now is a great time for businesses to update their listing to ensure all details are current. An invitation to a meet the head contractor event will be sent out in the next few months.

To stay up to date with the latest project updates subscribe to our e-newsletter.

The successful recipients of the 2024 TasNetworks Community Grants Program have been awarded. The aim of the funding is to support not-for-profit organisations to deliver projects that strengthen community resilience or reduce cost of living pressures for Tasmanians.

The NWTD project has directly funded five applicants’ submissions located in North West Tasmania, identified as initiatives that will positively contribute to their communities.

Congratulations to the following:

• Gunns Plains Community Centre
• Marine Rescue Ulverstone
• Parklands High School (Burnie)
• Royal Life Saving Tasmania
• Youth, Family and Community Connections (Burnie and Devonport).

For further information about these worthy projects and for a full list of the TasNetworks Community Grants Program recipients, go to Community Grants Program - TasNetworks.

With the final report released by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) this week, the 2024 Integrated System Plan (ISP) has confirmed that the North West Transmission Developments project is a critical component for the national transition to renewable energy. AEMO is responsible for operating Australia’s National Energy Market (NEM) in the best interests of Australian energy consumers.