Media release – SOLVE (Supporting Our Loongana Valley Environment), 23 June 2021
NORTH-WEST COMMUNITIES CALL OUT MARINUS PROJECT AND THE RENEWABLES GOLD-RUSH AT THE DEVONPORT ENERGY DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE – AND CONDEMN TASNETWORKS WHO WILL TRASH BIODIVERSITY HOT-SPOT LOONGANA VALLEY AND MANY MORE WITH ITS NEW TRANSMISSION LINES
Today SOLVE (Supporting Our Loongana Valley Environment) joined a growing number of community groups across the north-west to protest the Energy Development Conference in Devonport. The conference is hosting corporate interests who are already railroading our communities in the renewables gold-rush.
Loongana is in the path of just one of TasNetworks’ new transmission lines, this one from Hampshire to Staverton, part of ‘Project Marinus’. Our heavily-forested valley is home to many threatened forest habitats and species, including wedge-tailed eagles, goshawks, freshwater crayfish, devils and quolls.
TasNetworks, given planning control role for a plan they’ll profit from, dismiss our valley community as collateral damage. Their overhead lines, towers and 60-90m easements will have major impacts on our environment, water, fire risk, community, and tourist businesses which rely on local wilderness. The new grid is designed to maximise TasNetworks’ profits, but will send >90% of all new renewable power to the mainland, taking jobs with it. In Victoria, where TasNetworks are busy selling the Marinus Project, they will instead put their lines underground.
Our north-west communities are the canaries down the ‘200% renewables’ mine shaft, and our experiences warn others of the damage set to occur across 2/3 of the state by poorly planned private energy infrastructure in order to meet this target.
TasNetworks’ new grid will scar vast areas of Tasmania with new transmission lines, while corporate renewable projects pick off communities one-by-one to set up windfarms. There are no no-go areas, so it’s open slather for corporate investors from around the world. The HVOTL route selection through Loongana, and wind turbine placements at Robbins Island, Stanley and Miena set a very low benchmark for this rollout, and every community should be worried. Just because energy is renewable doesn’t mean the industry has a free pass to wreck our local environments.
SOLVE calls out all claims that Project Marinus benefits Tasmania, and demand that the industry and state government return to the drawing board to work with community to develop genuine energy, climate and jobs. With all power and profits going offshore, the current Marinus Project doesn’t benefit Tasmania, and nor does the renewables boom. Marinus is a con that hurts our state.
