Planning and environment

Major infrastructure projects, like the building of transmission lines, are assessed under local, state and Commonwealth laws to ensure environmental impacts are appropriately identified and managed.

In Victoria, the Environment Effects Statement (EES) process is the most rigorous environmental assessment process and is carried out under the Victorian Environment Effects Act 1987 (EE Act).

An EES is a comprehensive investigation of the project's potential environmental impacts and it informs decision-makers about what can be done to manage or mitigate those impacts. The EES will consider a range of impacts, including:

• landscape and visual impact
• social and economics
• biodiversity
• cultural heritage, and
• land use and planning.

Where a project (a ‘proposed action’) may significantly impact matters of national environmental significance, such as threatened species, ecological communities, or heritage sites, an assessment under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) may also apply.

Project referrals

On 1 October 2024, the Victorian Minister for Planning declared the Gippsland offshore wind transmission project as ‘public works’ under the EE Act, which means that it will require the preparation of an EES. The Minister will assess the EES to inform decision-making across government on whether the project should proceed.

View the Department of Transport and Planning’s website for more information on the public works declaration.

VicGrid has submitted a referral to the Commonwealth Minister for the Environment under the EPBC Act.

On 8 October 2024, the referral was published on the EPBC Act Public Portal by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) and is open for comment.

The referral was open for public comment until 22 October 2024.

The Minister has 20 business days from the date the referral was published to decide if the project requires assessment and approval under the EPBC Act. The decision will be based on whether the project has, will have, or is likely to have a significant impact on a matter of national environmental significance.

For more information about the referral process visit DCCEEW’s referrals and environmental assessments under the EPBC Act web page.

Bilateral agreement between the Commonwealth and Victoria to assess projects together

Under the EPBC Act, the Commonwealth and Victorian governments coordinate through a bilateral agreement that allows environmental impacts to be assessed under the Victorian EES process, increasing efficiency and reducing duplication.

How to participate in the planning process

Public consultation is an important part of the planning and environment assessment process.

You can find information on the consultation and public exhibition process through:

• DCCEEW’s public comments and decisions on actions referred under the EPBC Act
• DTP’s preparing an EES consultation plan. VicGrid will publish an EES consultation plan in the coming months.

Sign up for our e-news to be notified when public comment periods are open.

Page last updated: 12/11/24