Working with community

How your feedback has influenced our decisions

Early engagement with communities and landholders has been our priority, and they have helped us make decisions about the location of new transmission infrastructure.

Publishing a roadmap

In April 2023, VicGrid published an Offshore wind transmission development and engagement roadmap. The roadmap set out our key steps to plan new offshore wind transmission through direct and ongoing engagement with local communities and key stakeholders.

We also collected community feedback and captured what we heard in a summary report.

Feedback on our options assessment method

In mid 2023, VicGrid published and used community feedback to refine the options assessment method, the decision-making tool we have used to inform our selection of the study area. The feedback gathered has helped us design the assessment method and balance the relative importance of each factor considered. We captured the feedback in a summary report.

Early community engagement

VicGrid’s approach is a big change from the way transmission is usually planned – where the only considerations during early stages are technical and economic.

VicGrid is considering social, environmental and cultural factors alongside technical and economic factors in the early stages of planning to achieve better outcomes for local communities and all Victorians.

For more information on the assessment method and how feedback has influenced our decisions, read our Gippsland options assessment report community summary.

For more detailed information, read the full Gippsland Options Assessment Report.

Next steps

Having identified a broad study area, the next steps involve refining the area to a corridor (and then route) using detailed studies, on-the-ground assessments and engagement with landholders, farmers and community members. We will also start design activities for the transmission infrastructure and connection hubs.

The process of refining the study area to a corridor and ultimately a route and easement is highly intertwined with environment assessments and approvals. This means we expect it will take a few years to move from the current broad Study Area to a confirmed transmission easement.

Construction of the new infrastructure is planned for 2027-30, in time for Victoria to start benefiting from the 2 GW of offshore wind energy that needs to be generated by 2032 as the State’s coal-fired power stations close.

We will be working closely with First Peoples, landholders and communities throughout this period.

Get in touch

We are seeking to talk with community members about the study area and next steps, and to hear any feedback, questions or concerns you may have.

To contact the project team directly, please get in touch via email to vicgrid@deeca.vic.gov.au.

We are also hosting community drop-in sessions around Gippsland where you can meet with the project team and raise any questions or concerns.

See event details on our Engage Victoria page.

Complaints

We are committed to resolving complaints in a timely manner and invite all forms of feedback as the project progresses.

How to make a complaint with VicGrid

Our Offshore Wind Energy Transmission team is available should you wish to make a complaint.

We will do our best to resolve complaints on the spot, however depending on the type and complexity of a complaint, we may need to escalate it further. Escalated complaints will be resolved within 10 business days of their escalation.

To speak to our team, please call 1800 418 341 or email vicgrid@deeca.vic.gov.au.

How to make a complaint outside of VicGrid

If you wish to make a complaint outside of VicGrid, you can do so by contacting the following:

Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner
Phone: 1800 656 395
Email: aeic@aeic.gov.au
Website: www.aeic.gov.au/making-a-complaint

Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria
Phone: 1800 500 509
Email: ewovinfo@ewov.com.au
Website: www.ewov.com.au/start-a-complaint

Before making a complaint, you may want to have a confidential conversation with VicGrid’s Independent Facilitator, Mick Maguire on 03 8904 9489. Details provided to the Independent Facilitator are not passed on to VicGrid without your permission.

More information

For matters unrelated to Offshore Wind Energy Transmission in Gippsland, please call 136 186.

Page last updated: 27/03/24