Western Renewable Energy Zone

A renewable energy zone is proposed in western Victoria as part of the 2025 Victorian Transmission Plan. The zone consists of 2 sections, which were formerly known as the Grampians Wimmera and Wimmera Southern Mallee draft proposed renewable energy zones.

The proposed Western Renewable Energy Zone also includes new areas that were not previously identified in the draft Victorian Transmission Plan.

Before being officially declared by the Minister for Energy and Resources, there will be a further chance to provide your feedback. For more information, visit Engage Victoria.

Where is the zone?

The proposed Western Renewable Energy Zone has changed from being 2 separate draft proposed renewable energy zones (Grampians Wimmera and Wimmera Southern Mallee) to being a single zone with 2 sections.

The proposed zone sits within the Registered Aboriginal Party boundaries of the Barengi Gadjin Land Council and Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation.

The eastern section (the former Grampians Wimmera zone) is located between Stawell and Donald, with its southern boundary following an existing 220 kV transmission line and its eastern boundary following the Victoria to New South Wales Interconnector West (VNI West) corridor. It is mainly located within the Northern Grampians Shire and also intersects with Yarriambiack and Pyrenees local government areas.

The western section (the former Wimmera Southern Mallee zone) is located north of Horsham, between Dooen and Hopetoun. It is located within the Yarriambiack, Hindmarsh, Buloke and Horsham Rural City local government areas.

The western section has been expanded from what was previously identified in the draft Victorian Transmission Plan.

VicGrid heard consistently through the consultation process from energy industry stakeholders that our modelling for future energy demand did not have sufficient contingency built in and greater size and flexibility was needed to enable the development of technically and commercially viable renewable projects. We also heard from some landholders in the region, calling for more opportunity to benefit from hosting infrastructure.

How feedback shaped the zone

Community and industry views have been crucial to the design of the 2025 Victorian Transmission Plan.

VicGrid's role is to balance the need for new renewable projects that will deliver reliable and affordable power with a range of other factors, including how we minimise impacts on landholders, communities, agriculture, the environment and power bills.

Not all community or industry requests have been adopted.

The Victorian Transmission Plan reflects difficult choices, made by weighing up many factors to deliver a plan that best serves all Victorians.

What we heard through feedback

• Minimise impacts on agricultural land, particularly areas with highly productive soils.
• Consider the impacts of renewable energy infrastructure on the use of advanced farming technology in the north-west.
• Negative experiences with previous and planned generation and transmission development.
• Interest in understanding how renewable energy and transmission development could bring economic and social benefits to the region.
• Concern about potential impacts on Horsham Airport’s expansion plans, and the importance of protecting the surrounding flight descending zone.
• The need to protect biodiversity and the valued natural environments.
• The need to protect significant landscapes in the south of the region including the Grampians (Gariwerd Cultural Landscape) and Mount Arapiles (Dyurrite Cultural Landscape) and important parks, reserves and conservation areas.
• Concerns about potential flood risk and impacts on surface water flows.
• Cumulative impacts of competing land use, including the Victorian to New South Wales Interconnector West (VNI West) project, generator interest and mineral sands mining activities.
• Some landholders in this area have provided clear feedback that they do not wish to host renewable energy infrastructure on their properties.
• Other landholders were supportive of expanding renewable energy zone boarders to allow greater participation.
• Industry feedback stressed the need to increase the size and capacity of renewable energy zones overall to meet future energy demands.

What we did

• By combining the zones, access to the electricity grid will be allocated across both sections combined. This will provide more flexibility in where renewable energy projects such as wind farms are developed.
• The boundaries of the western section have been expanded due to the need to provide greater opportunities for project developers to participate.
• We have heard from industry stakeholders that the size of zones and the amount of energy generated from each needed to be at a level that enabled the development of commercially viable renewable projects. The expansion of this zone reflects this need and has been supported by further land-use assessment, which identified relatively fewer land constraints when compared to other areas of the state.
• This will mean that the proposed zone will include more farmland, which we know will be of concern to some community members.  Research has shown that dryland broadacre cropping and grazing may be more compatible with renewable energy infrastructure than other forms of farming. Also noted is that we have heard from the agriculture sector that all farms are unique and the impacts on landholders may vary and need to be considered by any proposed project development.
• We avoided many sensitive landscapes and landforms with high cultural, biodiversity and community significance, including the Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park, Kara Kara National Park, Lake Buloke, the Wimmera River and natural conservation reserves around Stawell, Avoca and St Arnaud (east of the Victorian to New South Wales Interconnector West project).
• We have heard, and continue to hear, the depth of community feedback and concerns about renewable energy development in this region. VicGrid will continue to work with local communities to explore these issues further and to minimise impacts to the region throughout the planning and development of renewable energy zones.
• Given the significant cultural, biodiversity and community (tourism) values of The Grampians (Gariwerd Cultural Landscape) and Mount Arapiles (Dyurrite Cultural Landscape), VicGrid will continue to assess and seek feedback on these significant landscapes and areas in refining the renewable energy zones.

To find out more, read the Proposed Western Renewable Energy Zone factsheet.

Next steps

Communities within proposed renewable energy zones can continue to provide feedback and seek more information about renewable energy zones, including through face-to-face meetings with VicGrid.

We will invite formal feedback about the proposed Western Renewable Energy Zone as part of the official declaration process.

There will be 6 weeks of consultation which will give landholders, communities and Traditional Owners another opportunity to provide feedback and shape decision-making. The timing for this will be announced in the coming weeks.

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Call us on 1800 418 341 or email vicgrid@deeca.vic.gov.au

Page last updated: 17/08/25