NSW Energy Minister hears Wagga landowner concerns over $2.1 billion HumeLink power line

Mr Kean visited the landowners at their properties in the Kyeamba area and met with others at Wagga City Council chambers about the proposed route for the HumeLink power line project.

Landowners between Wagga and the power line's starting point at the Snowy Hydro scheme have been complaining for months that the NSW electricity grid operator, TransGrid, has not been listening to their feedback on potential routes.

Mr Kean said he had a "constructive" meeting with the landowners about the HumeLink's "nation-building infrastructure".

"Every resident has the right to be heard, so we were here to listen, to understand the concerns of communities and try to find options that will minimise the impact of these projects on private landowners," he said.

"We heard a range of concerns from bushfire risk to destruction of local amenity, to the impact on the local environment."

TransGrid, plans to build the 500-kilovolt HumeLink line with towers up to 65 metres tall with a 70-metre easement between Wagga and the Snowy 2.0 hydroelectric scheme expansion.

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Coreinbob landowner Rick Martin said he and his wife Pam had "spent a stressful 12 months" trying to improve TransGrid's communication but they were now "reasonably positive" having feared for the impact on their business and land values.

Mrs Martin said Mr Kean was "very appreciative of all out concerns" and had "given us a firm undertaking that he will follow up and do a lot of checking with TransGrid".

Mrs Martin said she wanted the towers placed in the "best" locations rather than the "cheapest" route.

"It means putting it on unproductive land rather than highly productive agricultural land, which is a finite resource," she said.

Mr Kean said he was "very concerned" that TransGrid had not considered alternate route options suggested by landowners.

"I think the people living in this area know this area better than anyone else and they want to help in the process; they understand it has got to be built but they are also trying to get it built in a way that minimises the impact on the region," he said.

Mr Kean's tour of the region followed a meeting in Wagga on Monday between TransGrid and landowners.

Wagga MP Joe McGirr said the landowners were willing to engage with TransGrid but were "clearly angry about what has happened" and needed a "reset" as "the consultation process has been lousy".

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