North West Transmission Developments

Thank you to the many contractors that registered their interest in TasNetworks’ North West Transmission Developments (NWTD) project. A formal Expression of Interest (EOI) has now been issued to eight proponents. The purpose of the EOI is to shortlist proponents for invitation to the final procurement stage - Request For Proposals (RFP).

TasNetworks is looking to appoint a single Head Contractor that possesses and demonstrates strong capability, resources and experience to deliver the scope of works to the satisfaction of TasNetworks.

The successful Head Contractor will be supported and encouraged to engage local contractors and suppliers in order to maximise spend and employment in the region, and in Tasmania generally.

The NWTD project is subject to final investment decision (FID), currently scheduled for December 2024. It is anticipated that main construction activities will commence in early 2025, following FID approval.

The Lions Club of Kentish was recently provided with a community grant through the NWTD project to support the School Breakfast Club program and provide Care Packages to the elderly in the region.

Once a week, volunteers from the Lions Club of Kentish prepare breakfast for some of the students at the Railton and Sheffield campuses. The program has been running for over four years and has many benefits.

"No child is singled out and all are invited to partake," said Lion Jan Crosswell from the Lions Club of Kentish.

"There is a lot of interaction between our members and the children, with mental wellbeing of both the children and volunteers improving."

Jan also reported that the Care Packs that they recently distributed in the community were very well received. The packs comprised of stationary, hand sanitiser, tissues, tea bags and coffee, sweets and a contact number for anyone needing help.

We're proud to be able to support these important initiatives that help brighten someone's day and make a positive difference in the community.

Helicopter surveying of eagle nest activity are scheduled to undertaken on Monday, 31 October (weather dependent). There are 13 known eagle nests that will be assessed along the proposed North West Transmission Developments route.

The surveying team will follow a strict methodology for carrying out the assessment. This includes all observers including the pilot undertaking a full sky sweep for any eagles in flight of the vicinity starting from 2km of the approach to the nest.

If an eagle is spotted its behaviour will be observed. Behaviours such as 'pot hooking', extended talons, or flying in the direction of the helicopter are indicators of aggression from the eagle(s). Should this occur the nest will be considered active by default and will not be approached.

If there are no signs of this behaviour as the helicopter nears the nest a quiet approach will be taken at a speed of 40 knots. Where a nest cannot be seen on a single pass the location of the nest will be circled no more than twice.

To reduce disturbance as much as possible the helicopter will not hover or be within the vicinity of a nest for any longer than 30 seconds.

During transit between nests the helicopter will fly at a minimum altitude of 1,000ft observing those land parcels registered as 'Do Not Fly' and 'If Cattle Do Not Fly'.

It is expected that the surveying will take half a day.

The end of the year is fast approaching and with it some key milestones in the design and approvals phase are coming closer to being realised.

Approvals update – Staverton to Hampshire Hills

Preparation of the Development Application and Environmental Impact Statement for Staverton to Hampshire Hills is well underway.

These two documents will form one consolidated 'application' that will enable the Tasmanian Planning Commission to assess the environmental, social and economic aspects of the project against the project assessment criteria and determine whether approvals will be granted and what conditions will be applied to allow the project to proceed to the construction phase.

The application is informed by a range of investigations and assessments that are being undertaken within the proposed transmission corridor.

Some of the investigations and assessments that are undertaken for the application include aboriginal and historic heritage, ecology, geology and geomorphology, noise and vibration, landscape and visual, social and economic as well as traffic and transport.

While a lot of the investigation work is now complete we still have some more surveying work to do.

We look forward to sharing the findings of the investigations with you through information sessions early next year. Keep an eye out in our upcoming newsletters to find out where and when we will be holding the sessions.

The Development Application along with the Environmental Impact Statement is expected to be submitted to the Tasmanian Planning Commission in early 2023.

Once the application is submitted, the community will be provided with a formal opportunity to make a written submission on the application when it is placed on public exhibition.

Notified Corridor - Staverton to Hampshire Hills

Another upcoming key milestone in the project is the making of the 'notified corridor'. The making of a 'notified corridor' is required as part of the assessment under the Major Infrastructure Development Approvals Act 1999.

The main purpose of putting a notified corridor in place is to ensure any future developments do not prevent the project from going ahead while it is in the approvals phase.

The notified corridor has been informed by 18 months of engagement with landowners, community and stakeholders, as well as the extensive program of site investigations which have helped us minimise impacts on the environment, areas of cultural sensitivity and the community.

If you would like to know more about these major project milestones email nwtd@tasnetworks.com.au.

Businesses are invited to register their interest in TasNetworks’ North West Transmission Developments (NWTD) project via the ICN Gateway.

The NWTD and Marinus Link will deliver significant economic benefits by creating 1,400 jobs at peak construction and $1.4 billion in economic stimulus in Tasmania. The projects will unlock a pipeline of future renewable energy generation developments that are estimated to provide an additional 2,350 jobs at peak construction and add a further $5.7 billion to the Tasmanian economy.

The NWTD is subject to final investment decision (FID), currently scheduled for December 2024. Procurement activities have commenced with a Registration of Interest closing on 22 August 2022. It is anticipated that construction activities will commence in 2024, following FID.

The intent is to appoint a single Head Contractor to deliver the scope of works. TasNetworks will encourage and support the successful Head Contractor to engage local contractors and suppliers, in order to maximise spend and employment in the region.

To find out more and register your interest for any of the likely categories of project spend, please visit our ICN project portal.

TasNetworks is seeking your feedback to help shape a proposed community benefits sharing program (CBSP) for the North West Transmission Developments (NWTD). Have your say here.

The environmental, land-use planning and heritage impact assessment and approvals process for the proposed North West Transmission Developments is progressing.

TasNetworks has submitted two new referrals to the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Water and Energy under the Environmental Protection, Biodiversity and Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).

The referral application numbers are:

· Sheffield to Staverton Upgrades - 2022/09248

· Remaining North West Transmission Developments - 2022/09247

If you'd like to know more about TasNetworks' applications, what they cover and why they were made, you can read more on our website here.

The first meeting of the NWTD Stakeholder Liaison Group (SLG) was held on Monday, 11^th of October in Burnie. Independently chaired, the group includes representation across key industry groups, peak bodies, education, skills and training sectors and state government organisations.

The SLG will provide an important engagement forum for the NWTD project during the design and approvals phase. During the meetings, TasNetworks will share information about the project, as well as discuss potential impacts and opportunities. Stakeholder perspectives and feedback will be sought on a range of matters related to the North West Transmission Developments.

Meetings will be held every two months.

View the NWTD SLG Terms of Reference and Code of Conduct.

The minutes, agenda and presentation from the first meeting are available below.

Meeting one – Group establishment and NWTD project introduction

11 October 2020

• Meeting Agenda (PDF 39KB)
• Meeting Minutes (PDF 120KB)
• Meeting Presentation (PDF 1.92GB)

TasNetworks has announced details of the proposed North West Transmission Developments, with the release of a detailed Route Options Report.

The report outlines the developments in North West Tasmania required to unlock Tasmania’s world-class renewable energy resources, including hydro generation and storage as well as wind and solar resources.

The upgrade and extension to Tasmania’s electricity transmission network, along with the proposed 1500 megawatt Marinus Link, is a critical piece of nation-building infrastructure to support Australia’s transition to a clean energy future.

We recognise the need to provide many avenues to engage with the team as this project progresses.

TasNetworks will be holding a number of community information sessions in the Burnie area throughout June in Stowport, Heybridge, Ridgely, Shorewell Park, Upper Burnie and Burnie city, which community members are invited to attend. Please see details on the right hand side of this page. No registration is required.

On June 22, we will host a public webinar to provide more information on the proposed route and answer questions from the community. Please follow this link to register.

We also welcome online engagement via this site – please take the survey to let us know what you think.

Landowners, neighbours and community members will have several opportunities to comment during the environmental, land use planning and cultural heritage approvals process. These will include formal opportunities required by the approvals processes and informal opportunities through planned engagement activities. As part of this, there will be opportunity to make written submissions. TasNetworks will provide more information about these opportunities once the environmental and planning approvals process is confirmed.

Comment on the Route Options Report from landowners and the community is encouraged. You can provide your feedback in a number of ways:

• drop a feedback pin on our interactive route map
• email us a question at projectmarinus@tasnetworks.com.au
• complete the survey.

We are committed to communicating in a transparent, respectful, and timely manner.