Victoria pauses $1.5B transmission line project

• Victorian Premier Ben Carroll has ordered a cost review of the Western Renewables Link Project.
• The budget has increased from $370 million in 2019 to approximately $1.5 billion.
• The delay puts Australia's federal 2030 renewable energy targets at further risk.

Victorian Premier Ben Carroll ordered an immediate cost assessment of the 190-kilometre Western Renewables Link Project after costs blew out to $1.5 billion.

The transmission project was originally estimated to cost $370 million when planned in 2019.

"If we can save money on the costs of building, we can help reduce the cost of living," said Victorian Premier Ben Carroll.

The state government will pause compulsory land acquisitions while the review takes place through the end of the year.

The Western Renewables Link is designed to connect new wind and solar power generation across western Victoria to the main grid.

Research from Green Energy Markets shows only 6 per cent of approved Australian grid projects have secured long-term power purchase agreements.