Help protect our countryside
from transmission towers
Kingston & District Power Alliance (KDPA) is working collaboratively with Hepburn Shire Council and other community groups who are strongly opposed to the Western Renewables Link (WRL).
Making Our Voice Count
Submissions to the Western Renewables Link Environmental Effects Statement (EES) closed on Monday 25 August 2026. KDPA prepared guidance and assisted community members to provide submissions.
KDPA delivered an 18-part submission
Over 500 submissions were lodged, including Hepburn Shire and Victorian Farmers Federation
The Western Renewables Link Inquiry and Advisory Committee (WRL IAC) hearings received input from the Proponent (AusNet), experts, representatives of councils and numerous individuals and groups from 27 October 2025 and ran across 15 weeks concluding on 3 March 2026.
Over two whole days in January KDPA presented to the WRL IAC and responded to questions. We spoke to our submission, confirmed and advanced our stance on this project. We witnessed many outstanding community submissions to the inquiry.
Fire Safety Implications
KDPA and multiple other submitters raised concerns regarding the implications of an overhead transmission line on the incidence of fire and the impacts of being unable to fight fires under power lines. We wrote to the CFA in November 2025 asking a series of questions that in our view were not addressed by the CFA submission. We received a response in March 2026.
These images were presented to the inquiry. They represent the impact of not being able to fight fires within 25 m of transmission lines and illustrate the consequent expansion of fireground and loss of time to battle fires especially in close proximity to townships. Recent bushfires again confirm the real threat to firefighters and regional communities.
KDPA’s strong position is that the WRL is a flawed project and should be cancelled!
AusNet’s use of overhead powerlines for the WRL is unsafe, inefficient and will destroy our unique landscape
KDPA supports renewable energy and wants underground transmission to avoid the negative impacts of overhead lines
AusNet propose building a new 190km overhead high-voltage electricity transmission line that will carry renewable energy from Bulgana in western Victoria to Sydenham in Melbourne’s north-west.
We oppose the construction parameters of the WRL because of the multiple negative impacts it will have.
The WRL will impact our agricultural production, land values, tourism, visual amenity, liveability, heritage values, environment and well-being of our entire community.
AEMO must properly investigate the option of underground HVDC transmission of renewable energy across Victoria, which we believe will be cost effective over the life of the project, taking into account the full social and economic costs to communities.
Overhead powerlines are unsafe, inefficient and will destroy our unique landscape.
The KDPA is organised by a community of like-minded people who have come together in an endeavour to “Protect Our Countryside”.
Our strength and power comes when we unite together as a community to oppose the WRL.
Join Us
The Fight
Impact On Us
The WRL
AusNet’s high-voltage (HV) transmission towers are up to 85 metres tall and will be spaced approximately 500 metres apart.
Transmission of high-voltage alternating current electricity (HVAC) via overhead towers is old technology, but it’s the cheapest option available to AusNet.
To deliver renewable energy from western Victoria to customers in Melbourne, AusNet’s proposed WRL corridor will cut right through some of Victoria’s most productive agricultural farmland.
AusNet’s proposed WRL route (Image source AusNet Dec 2021).
The potential alignment of the WRL corridor also impacts the heart of our historically significant areas, residential areas, wildlife habitat and our vast open spaces.
KDPA believe that AusNet has failed to comply with the Minister’s scoping requirements to undertake robust investigations for the safer alternative in the undergrounding of the project using new high-voltage direct current (HVDC) technology.
Transmission tower collapse, Cressy, 2020 (Image source Xx Dec 2021).
We oppose the current construction parameters of the WRL because of the multiple negative impacts it will have on our community:
Impact on farming
Impact on tourism
Impact from fire
Impact on water
Impact on landscape
Impact on heritage
Impact on socio-economic values
Impact on biodiversity
