Parliamentary inquiry into feasibility of undergrounding power lines to hold public hearing in the Snowy Valleys

A NSW upper house inquiry examining the feasibility of undergrounding transmission infrastructure for renewable energy projects across the state was launched last month and has been inundated with written submissions.

In response, the committee responsible for the probe will host a public hearing at the Tumut Golf Club on July 26.

The forum comes amid significant opposition to the proposed HumeLink transmission line that will run from Wagga, across the Snowy Valleys and north into the Southern Tablelands.

More than 100 submissions have been lodged as part of the inquiry and committee chair Emily Suvaal urged members of the public to have their say during next week's forum.

"Given the billions of dollars being invested in renewing the NSW energy grid it is important to get this right," Ms Suvaal said.

"Community input is vital so we can make recommendations to the government on what will work best for the people of NSW.

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"The committee wants to know community concerns regarding overhead transmission lines and understand the benefits and cost of putting that infrastructure underground."

The announcement of the inquiry was described as a "big win" for Riverina residents who are fighting to have the overhead powerlines slated for erection as part of the multibillion-dollar HumeLink project put underground.

A number of concerns about the high-voltage transmission line, being developed by Transgrid, have been raised - including that the overhead towers pose fire risks, will ruin prime farmland, scar the landscape and the environment and have a significantly negative impact on native habitats.

The 500kV transmission line will connect Wagga, Bannaby and Maragle and span a distance about 360 kilometres, making it one of the state's largest energy infrastructure projects.

Transgrid has said the interconnector and its substations will help unlock the full capacity of the Snowy 2.0 project and will link with another new transmission line project, EnergyConnect, at Wagga.

Wagga MP Joe McGirr, community action group HumeLink Alliance Incorporated and the Snowy Valleys Council are among the individuals and organisations to lodge submissions with the inquiry that relate to HumeLink.

In its submission, Snowy Valleys Council said it was "of the strong view that undergrounding transmission lines is the most appropriate and cost-effective option considering the externalities affecting farming, residents throughout the local government area, forestry, the tourism industry, visitors and the environment including the reduced risks and costs of fires".

"Snowy Valleys' plans for the future depend on maintaining the natural beauty of our local government area's visual amenity and environmental values," the council said.

"Our future depends on our attractiveness and environmental condition and sustainability."

The council said visual amenity, environmental and farming losses had negative consequences and stressed that "no one should minimise the consequences of 'industrialising' Australia's iconic locations".

"Would we build power lines above Bondi Beach?" the submission said.

"No one has enough information to know which is the better option.

"The decision to build overhead is premature given the lack of non-market and market analysis of the costs of overhead lines compared with undergrounding."

On the back of community opposition to the project, Transgrid launched a feasibility study into building HumeLink via underground cable.

The energy network operator said the study found undergrounding increased the project's cost and significantly delayed its completion by up to five years.

"This delay would threaten the timely connection of the new renewable energy and the related essential new interstate connections to the grid," Transgrid said in its own submission to the inquiry.

"It is essential that the infrastructure is completed by 2026 to secure the network before the ageing power stations are decommissioned."

Further details about the Tumut public hearing and forum will be published on the inquiry's webpage, at parliament.nsw.gov.au. To register to attend the forum, visit forms.office.com/r/5eZnsTrt81.

The hearing and public forum will be broadcast live on the NSW Parliament's website.

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