A public meeting for the Joint Regional Planning Panel was held on January 17. Renata Brooks chaired the meeting. The proposal comprises a 12-kilometre underground transmission line to facilitate the connection of the Biala Wind Farm to the electricity grid.

Documents showed that the underground 33 kilovolt (kV) transmission line would connect Biala Wind Farm to the existing 330kV Transgrid Yass to Goulburn transmission line. It would lie within a 100-metre corridor.

According to the development application the transmission line, “... will typically consist of between two or four parallel trenches, containing one or two 33kV electrical circuits, an earthing cable and a communications cable… installed at a depth of 800mm”.

As well as impacting on 20 rural lots, that span the localities of Biala, Gurrundah and Bannister.

The development also intersects or includes areas of Crown land, including; various unformed Crown roads, Gurrundah Creek and Hume’s Creek.

According to the Department of Planning under the Environmental and Planning Act relevant impacts have been addressed, and potential impacts to watercourses can be managed. The substation augmentation component of the proposal would result in an increase in the disturbance footprint (an additional 585 m2). 

The upgrade at the substation facility, including an installation of an additional 33/330kV transformer and other associated infrastructure. However, footprint would be located within an area of land, already used to house electrical infrastructure. It has concluded that it would not be visually intrusive.

In total, 113 trees would also have to be removed along the corridor, including native eucalypts, acacia, and pine, hawthorn.