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Submission #2830 - Overhead Transmission Line, Ballark to Elaine, Victoria Title of Proposal - Overhead Transmission Line, Ballark to Elaine, Victoria Section 1 - Summary of your proposed action Provide a summary of your proposed action, including any consultations undertaken. 1.1 Project Industry Type Energy Generation and Supply (renewable) 1.2 Provide a detailed description of the proposed action, including all proposed activities. The proposed action involves the construction of a 29km long overhead transmission line between Moorabool Wind Farm at Ballark and the existing substation at Elaine in central western Victoria. The proposed action will enable a source of renewable energy to become available to meet Victorian and National clean energy demand. The project will assist Commonwealth and Victorian governments to achieve their renewable energy targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Including the wind farm, the project will involve a $7.6 million per annum investment in the Moorabool Shire in central western Victoria. This annual investment will comprise $1.1 M in council rates and government levies, $1.4 M in rent and land use payments, $0.7 M in community benefit funding and $4.4 M in employment, operations and maintenance costs. The project will create over 300 jobs. Goldwind Australia Pty. Ltd. has approval, in accordance with planning permit 2009/012877A issued by Moorabool Shire Council, to construct and operate Moorabool Wind Farm — a wind energy facility comprising 107 wind turbines and associated infrastructure. Powercor Australia Pty. Ltd. (being the electricity distribution company that operates throughout western Victoria) is currently seeking a separate planning permit to enable the removal of native vegetation to facilitate the construction of the 29km of overhead transmission line. No planning permit is required for the construction and operation of an overhead transmission line in the Farming Zone at this locality, only for the removal of native vegetation. The proposed overhead transmission line will comprise construction of an alignment of mostly single poles 18 to 24 metres in height, approximately 200 metres apart. There are some double poles on corners and where the alignment passes under the existing 220kV line near Elaine. Most of the overhead transmission line will be 7.5 metres above ground. In the immediate vicinity of Racecourse Lane at Elaine, the poles will be 40 metres high and the transmission cable 27 metres above the ground to avoid impacts to native vegetation. In 2016, this proposed action — then known as the Moorabool Wind Farm to Elaine Powerline — was subject to a Referral under the EPBC Act (EPBC Reference 2016/7663) by WestWind Energy Pty. Ltd. On 11th April 2016, the Australian Government’s Department of the Environment determined the Moorabool Wind Farm to Elaine Powerline to be not a controlled action. This determination was based on the proposed action having no impact on any EPBC Act-listed matter. A 2017 biodiversity assessment undertaken by Brett Lane & Associates Pty. Ltd. (being ecological consultants) to inform the planning permit application for native vegetation removal, Submission #2830 - Overhead Transmission Line, Ballark to Elaine, Victoria found that the proposed action was likely to impact on two EPBC Act-listed ecological communities. These impacts have been assessed as being not significant (BL&A 2017). See Attachment 6 — MNES assessment (BL&A 2017) — Report 16115 (7.0). The assessed impacts comprise complete removal of twelve small areas (each < 9 m2) of Natural Temperate Grassland of the Victorian Volcanic Plains (NTGVVP) spaced 200 metres apart along a two kilometre length of public roadside to facilitate power pole installation using minimum disturbance techniques. This is the only area where this threatened community will be affected. In addition, at three additional locations, a total of 0.495 hectares of Grassy Eucalypt Woodland of the Victorian Volcanic Plain (GEWVVP) will be removed from the alignment to enable the clearance required by Powercor Australia Pty. Ltd. These impacts are a worst case- scenario — of the 0.495 hectares impacted, 0.170 hectares may only require trimming. The construction phase of the project will seek to minimise impacts below these levels. The project will result in the following impacts to EPBC Act listed threatened communities: ? Removal of a maximum of 108 m2 hectares (0.0108 ha) of Natural Temperate Grassland of the Victorian Volcanic Plains (NTGVVP) based on the removal of 9 m2 at 12 locations; and ? Removal a maximum of 0.495 hectares of Grassy Eucalypt Woodland of the Victorian Volcanic Plain (GEWVVP) comprising 31 canopy trees — all ground flora will be retained (with the exception of the site of pole 115). The amount of NTGVVP proposed to be removed is less than 0.5% of that recorded in the Project Area. Large areas of NTGVVP exist both on the other side of the road and further along the road reserve. The amount of GEWVVP proposed to be impacted by canopy tree removal is small (less than 1%) in comparison to the amount of similar woodland vegetation nearby the alignment (as determined by aerial photograph interpretation and field survey). No impacts on EPBC Act listed flora species, fauna species or migratory species are expected from the proposed action. Where pre-construction targeted surveys locate occurrences of threatened flora species, works will be micro-sited to avoid impacts on these. The co-ordinates of the alignment are listed below. ? -37.72913 144.01089, -37.74486 144.0247, -37.75207 144.02513,-37.75386 144.04827,-37.75997 144.05874,-37.76755 144.06016,-37.76646 144.09555,-37.75881 144.10352,-37.76403 144.1432,-37.68157 144.19787,-37.67245 144.18825,-37.65338 144.19292 See Attachment 1 — shapefile of extent and location of the proposed action. 1.3 What is the extent and location of your proposed action? Use the polygon tool on the map below to mark the location of your proposed action. Area Point Latitude Longitude General Project 1 -37.758082333364 144.0137460442 Location General Project 2 -37.756453723021 144.01305939869 Location General Project 3 -37.721158362651 144.01031281666 Submission #2830 - Overhead Transmission Line, Ballark to Elaine, Victoria Area Point Latitude Longitude Location General Project 4 -37.729848012651 144.06181122974 Location General Project 5 -37.726589513377 144.16137482838 Location General Project 6 -37.649429857858 144.16480805592 Location General Project 7 -37.645080446626 144.23621918873 Location General Project 8 -37.730934147214 144.23209931568 Location General Project 9 -37.795530474696 144.16068818287 Location General Project 10 -37.796073061921 144.0137460442 Location General Project 11 -37.758082333364 144.0137460442 Location 1.5 Provide a brief physical description of the property on which the proposed action will take place and the location of the proposed action (e.g. proximity to major towns, or for off-shore actions, shortest distance to mainland). The proposed action is located between the Moorabool Wind Farm and the existing substation at Elaine, in western Victoria. The alignment crosses a number of private rural properties and a two kilometre stretch of public roadside (Ballan-Meredith Road/Bungeeltap Road South). The landscape of the alignment is generally flat, with the exception of several steep valleys where the alignment crosses the Moorabool River (East and West Branches). The underlying soil type is largely basalt. The study area comprises farmland, with the majority of properties being used for grazing by sheep. Surrounding land supports similar uses. The vegetation in the project area consists of introduced pasture and crops. Planted trees, for wind breaks, are common. Wind breaks regularly comprised introduced species such as Radiata Pine and Cypress Pine, and occasionally a mixture of native trees and shrubs. Vegetation in the section of the alignment that occurs along public roadsides comprises intact and high quality native grassland. Both sides of the Ballan-Meredith Road and Bungeeltap Road South support mostly native vegetation. Submission #2830 - Overhead Transmission Line, Ballark to Elaine, Victoria The project area supports 14 habitat zones that were assessed as Heavier soils Plains Grassland (EVC 132_61). Of these 14 habitat zones, nine — AA1, AA2, AA3, AA4, AA5, AC, AD, AF and AG — were considered to meet the criteria threshold to be classified as NTGVVP. Eight of the 14 grassland habitat zones were considered to provide suitable habitat for threatened flora species — Spiny Rice-flower, Clover Glycine and Matted Flax-lily. Targeted surveys of the proposed impact sites for Spiny Rice-flower in winter 2017 failed to locate any, so no impact is anticipated. Pre-construction surveys of the proposed impact sites in spring - summer for the other two species will be undertaken and micro-siting of works implemented to avoid any risk of impacts. Several areas of native woodland occur along the southern section of the alignment. These areas were distinguished by a healthy canopy of Manna Gum, with heavy recruitment of eucalypt saplings observed near larger canopy trees. Woodland vegetation, while patchy in parts, was mostly connected to similar adjacent habitat, and serves as a potential habitat corridor for avian and arboreal fauna. The project area supports 27 habitat zones that were assessed as Woodland. Of these 27 habitat zones, three — AL, AW and AX — were considered to meet the criteria and condition threshold to be classified as GEWVVP. All three are Manna Gum dominated (rather than River Red-gum dominated which is more typical of this listed community). Scattered trees, namely remnant eucalypts such as Manna Gum, Messmate Stringybark and Swamp Gum commonly occur near the alignment. Deep valleys adjacent to the Moorabool River (East and West Branches), as well as some other smaller tributaries to Moorabool River occur along the alignment. Vegetation along these waterways commonly comprised a mixture of native and introduced species, including the high threat weed species, Spiny Rush. Recent revegetation efforts were evident along some drainage lines, likely in an effort to stabilise creekline erosion.

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