Powerline Replacement Grant

To be eligible, you must:

Own a private overhead electric powerline on a property in a designated High Bushfire Risk Area within one of the following Local Government Areas (LGAs):

In eastern Victoria: Alpine, Baw Baw, Benalla, East Gippsland, Indigo, Mansfield, Murrindindi, Strathbogie, Towong, Wangaratta, Wellington, Wodonga, and Yarra Ranges.

In western Victoria: Ballarat, Colac Otway, Corangamite, Greater Bendigo, Hepburn, Loddon, Macedon Ranges, Mount Alexander, Moyne, Northern Grampians, Pyrenees, Southern Grampians and Surf Coast.

The POEL must be either:

• partially or fully bare-wire or if insulated, subject to a current urgent or significant defect notice
• in active use (the line is connected and energised)
• overhead (not already underground or in the process of being undergrounded).

Please see the Application Guidelines for further requirements.

The POEL grant aims to reduce powerline bushfire risk and make Victoria’s private powerlines safer in and around the areas affected by the 2019-20 bushfires.

In September 2020, the POEL grant was launched to target the LGAs (Alpine, East Gippsland, Towong) most affected by the summer 2019-20 bushfires.

In October 2021, the POEL Scheme was expanded into an additional 10 surrounding LGAs with high powerline bushfire risk to increase community safety. In October 2022, a further 13 LGAs in western Victoria were included.

Yes, your POEL can be fully or partially bare-wire.

POELs are power poles and powerlines located on private properties that connect the property to the electricity distribution network. These are generally for rural properties and various buildings, such as sheds. POELs can be insulated or 'bare-wire' (uninsulated).

POELs start at the 'point of supply'. This is where the electricity distribution network connects to the first pole on your property. Therefore, the POEL on your property may look identical to that of the electrical distribution network.

There are many different arrangements for where your powerline begins. If you are unsure about the arrangement on your property or if your powerline is your private asset, please get in touch with your distribution business:

AusNet Services - 1300 360 795

Powercor - 13 22 06

Applicants will be ineligible in the following situations:

• where it is reasonable to conclude that the powerline has been rendered defective due to damage directly caused by the owner or occupant of the property or persons acting on their behalf.
• the POEL is already undergrounded, in the process of being undergrounded, or where you have already contracted a Registered Electrical Contractor to start works.
• works cannot commence within the timeline of the Powerline Replacement Scheme.

Yes. On 25 October 2021, the Minister announced the following program changes:

• removed the requirement for an eligible POEL to be at least 50% bare-wire.
• bare-wire POELs that are subject to a defect notice, and insulated POELs that are subject to an urgent or significant defect notice, were deemed eligible.
• expanded the program into an additional 10 LGAs.

In October 2022, the POEL Scheme was expanded to an additional 13 LGAs in western Victoria.

If you applied and were deemed ineligible before October 2022 but think you may be eligible based on the expanded LGA areas, please contact the POEL Team at (03) 9918 7315 or via email at safer.powerlines@delwp.vic.gov.au.

The following will be funded under the POEL Scheme:

• cost of removing an existing eligible overhead POEL
• replacement cost with a powerline conforms with the appropriate legislation and regulations
• cost of site remediation works is directly related to undergrounding the POEL.

Note: Where it is not feasible to put the powerline underground or where the total costs of doing so, including site remediation, would exceed $75,000 (excluding GST), the POEL may instead be replaced with an insulated overhead powerline as allowed under the legislation and regulations.

The POEL Scheme will not fund the following activities:

• purchase of land
• routine or ongoing maintenance activities
• activities or works which have already commenced or are complete
• where duplicate services are in operation or planned for a community participating in the scheme
• recurrent operating costs, for example, rent and utility costs, or activities establishing expectations of ongoing funding
• activities or works are outside the local government areas targeted by this POEL Scheme or the state of Victoria
• regeneration of the land above an undergrounded line.

Funding is made available on a first-come, first-served basis subject to all other requirements in these guidelines. DEECA reserves the right to close the expressions of interest period before the advertised date should the allocated program funding be exhausted.

The applicant must meet all the criteria to be deemed eligible. Successful applicants will receive a notification email from DEECA outlining the next steps and a list of approved Registered Electrical Contractors (REC) for consideration.

If you’d like to be contacted in the event of further program expansions, please email your details to safer.powerlines@delwp.vic.gov.au, please email your details to safer.powerlines@delwp.vic.gov.au to be placed on a contact list. Please include your LGA.