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August 8, 2024
FM Legal
The New England Renewable Energy Zone is important, particularly for compulsory acquisition of land.
The New England Renewable Energy Zone is located in northern New South Wales (NSW). It is a proposed high voltage transmission line project to enable renewable energy to be fed into the main electricity grid. The main industry is the energy sector, and more specifically the renewable energy sector. In this post we will be explaining why the New England Renewable Energy Zone is important, explain how it proposed to operate and specifically outline the impact on private landowners who will have their land compulsory acquired for electricity easements for the high voltage power lines.
The latest development in July 2024 is release of the scoping report. This is important as it indicates the highly likely path of compulsory acquisition of land for electricity easements, albeit EnergyCo say they will still consider alternative routes based on community feedback. Significant doubt exists within the community on whether this is a true statement.
How you understand whether your property is affected is go to caportal.com.au/energyco/rez and the interactive map will show the route of the transmission lines.
If your property is affected by compulsory acquisition for high voltage transmission lines, then you will be entitled to compensation under the Just Terms Compensation Act. The determination of compensation is complex and requires the best advice from a lawyer and property valuer, which are paid for by the Government. The Just Terms Act will value the power line by way of an easement acquisition. The acquisition will not deprive you of ownership of the land that it is on but the easement will restrict how you use that part of your land. Current Energy Co say this easement will be 250 metres wide. Where this is on your land will be highly relevant to your compensation but also is something you can seek to have Energy Co to realign so it has less impact on your land. Watch our video for further information about Energy Co Easements.
If you have a question get in touch with our team.
