North West Transmission Developments

This month, TasNetworks conducted eagle nest aerial inspections to locate wedge-tailed eagle and white-bellied sea eagle nests in the vicinity of the proposed North West Transmission Developments route.

TasNetworks uses standardised eagle nest survey methods guided by the Forest Practices Authority. These checks are crucial for gathering information as part of the environmental and social impact assessment process.

Project Director Damian Vermey said that whilst the helicopter surveying can be disruptive, it is essential that we locate the nests,

“Knowing where the eagle nests are is vital for planning the final transmission route. We avoid placing infrastructure where nests are located and use survey results to plan construction activities so that we can avoid disturbing the eagles, particularly during breeding season, should the NWTD be approved.”

The latest survey campaign has been particularly valuable in identifying new nests.

“We were able to locate 11 new nests along the route between Hampshire to Burnie, then through to Poatina.”

Precautionary protocols are followed and surveys are conducted outside of the breeding season to minimise impacts on eagles.

Surveying will re-commence ahead of breeding season and we will advise communities when and where this will be happening closer to the time.

Any new eagle nests located are registered in the Tasmanian Natural Values Atlas database.

For more information please visit the eagle nest survey FAQs page

The North West Transmission Developments Engagement Report (July-Dec 2022) is now available and provides an outline of the engagement activities that were carried out between July and December 2022 for the NWTD.

You can read the full report here

The NWTD Stakeholder Liaison Group recently held its first meeting in February for 2023 and welcomed new members. The Group includes key stakeholders representing industry groups, peak bodies, not-for-profits, education, skills and training sectors and state government organisations. Stakeholder perspectives and feedback are sought on a range of matters related to the NWTD, including economic development opportunities, procurement, community benefits sharing and environmental approvals.

Minutes from each meeting are published to the TasNetworks website:

NWTD Stakeholder Liaison Group - TasNetworks

NWTD - Upcoming Engagement

You can catch us at a number of events across the North West region in the coming months. We would love to answer any questions you may have and hear your thoughts on the project.

Do you have an event or activity you'd like us to attend? Please contact us at NWTD@tasnetworks.com.au

Taste of the North West
Sun 12th March 2023, 11:00am - 4:00pm
King George V Park, 62 High St, Sheffield

North West EcoFest
Sat 1st April 2023, 9:30am - 3:00pm
Camp Clayton, 41 Clayton Rd, Ulverstone

Marinus Link and NWTD – Upcoming Engagement

Burnie
When: Friday, 17 March – 2:00 - 4:00pm
When: Saturday, 18 March – 10:00am - 12:00pm
Where: Future Energy Hub, Cradle Coast Authority, 1-3 Spring Street, Burnie

During the month of November, twelve of our NWTD team members participated in Movember, growing some impressive mos and together raising over $9,000 for men's health.

Men are dying on average 5 years earlier than women and for largely preventable reasons. Movember is the leading charity changing the face of men's heath, funding 1,250 men's health projects around the world - in particular focusing on suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.

Watch the 7News story here: https://youtu.be/DlChX5Yssrk?t=649

Information and resources can be found on the Movember website: https://au.movember.com/

The NWTD team along with Marinus Link and the Industry Capability Network met with Tasmanian businesses at a Meet the Projects event in Burnie earlier this month. The team spent a sunny afternoon chatting with local businesses about the exciting opportunities for local suppliers of goods and services to work with these major infrastructure projects.

Engaging local suppliers is a priority, with opportunities ranging from accommodation and catering to civil construction and fencing.

Tasmanian businesses are encouraged to register their interest through the Industry Capability Network portal - using the links below:

NWTD ICN Portal | Marinus Link ICN Portal

The Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment, and Water (DCCEEW) assessment team visited a number of key sections of the NWTD project last month.

The Australian Government is required to assess the Development Application and Environmental Impact Statement for the NWTD as the project relates to Matters of National Environmental Significance under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

The tour was led by Gina Goodman, Environment, Planning and Heritage Approvals Lead and Sarel Marias, Transmission Lines Engineer.

The group started the tour at the Sheffield Switching Station, before moving on to the Loongana Valley and then Mt Montgomery Reserve.

“The DCCEEW assessment team found the visit to the Loongana Valley really valuable as it gave them a good idea of the current and constantly changing landscape of the area,” said Gina.

“And we were able to show the assessment team an example of how the remaining NWTD alignment limits its impacts when we visited Mt Montgomery Reserve.”

The Development Application and Environmental Impact Statement for the NWTD is expected to be submitted to the Tasmanian Planning Commission and the Commonwealth for assessment in 2023.

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.