The Victorian councils in the group have been calling for urgent investment to increase capacity in Victoria's transmission network, which they say would release about $5 billion of investment in solar farms that already have planning permits in the region and get them feeding renewable energy into the grid.
The group was excited to see the Federal Member for Mallee Anne Webster recently make a strong speech in parliament in support of renewable energy for the region.
“We would like to thank Anne Webster, and we fully support her calls for investment in the grid and to prioritise projects that will increasetransmission capacity,” Murray River Group of Councils executive officer Geoff Turner said.
“That's exactly what we need.”
Mr Turner said across the region, the member councils had already issued permits for more than 4 GW of solar power generation, and there is another 4 GW of interest.
While the Australian Energy Market Operator is working on a new interconnector route, which will upgrade some of the network and provide a newinterconnector between NSW and Victoria, Mr Turner said it wasn't enough.
“While VNI-West is vital, it won't unlock the full potential of the region,” he said.
“That will require additional upgrades between Kerang and Red Cliffs and potentially further depending on the route AEMO settles on.
“Unlocking the full potential for solar farms in the region would create more than 3200 construction jobs, according to modelling done for the Loddon Mallee Renewable Energy Roadmap, and would generate over $1 billion in supply chain benefits.”
