Arabic version: ائتلاف فيكتوريا يتعهد بإلغاء «في إن آي ويست»
According to ABC News, the Victorian Liberal and National parties have pledged to scrap the VNI West transmission project if the Coalition wins the state election in November. The announcement came 100 days before the election, after the parties had previously committed to pausing and reviewing the project following opposition from farmers along its proposed route.
VNI West is a proposed transmission line connecting Victoria with the New South Wales grid. Estimated to cost between $7.6 billion and $11.4 billion, it forms part of Labor’s plan to support renewable generation and maintain electricity reliability. Nationals deputy leader Emma Kealy said the Coalition had reviewed the data and concluded the project would not “ever stack up”.
The Coalition said it would consider other ways to keep generation and prices sustainable, including unlocking gas reserves, extending coal to its technical end of life, and developing solar parks in Melbourne and other metropolitan areas near where energy would be consumed. It has also committed to reviewing and potentially scrapping the Western Renewables Link project, which is further advanced in planning than VNI West.
Energy and Resources Minister Jaclyn Symes called the pledge irresponsible, saying it would undermine electricity reliability, increase bills and risk blackouts as ageing coal-fired generators retire. She also questioned whether the Coalition would seek to overturn Victoria’s fracking ban, while stating there was no restriction on bringing new gas supply online through conventional means.
The Victorian Farmers Federation welcomed the commitment, with president Ryan Milgate saying VNI West would damage highly productive farmland and established farming operations. Clean Energy Council chief executive Jackie Trad and Environment Victoria climate campaign manager Joy Toose criticised the proposal, arguing that cancelling the transmission project would reduce available electricity, raise power prices and weaken reliability.
