EnergyCo has launched a regional reference group to help inform the planning and design of the Hunter Transmission Project.
The group will provide a platform for discussions on crucial aspects of the multi-billion dollar project, including project design, community views, minimising impacts on landholders and the environment and maximising benefits to the wider community.
The group consists of chairman and former Cessnock Mayor and Hunter Joint Organisation Chair Bob Pynsent, Singleton mayor Sue Moore, Cessnock mayor Jay Suvaal, and Lake Macquaire mayor Kay Fraser.
Three regional representatives including Samantha Martin-Williams (Business), Nathan Towney (Aboriginal) and Craig Anderson (environment)
Three community representatives John Sullivan (Singleton), Prof Phillip O'Neill (Cessnock) and Dianne Crosdale (Lake Macquarie).
The state government released a preliminary route for the Hunter Transmission Project, which will link Bayswater and Eraring power stations, in November.
The proposed 115-kilometre route will run across a combination of mining and industrial land, state forest and private property between Muswellbrook and Lake Macquarie.
The government has set an early 2028 deadline for the project, which will play an instrumental role in transporting renewable energy from the New England and Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zones to homes and businesses in the Hunter, Sydney and the Illawarra.
The project will involve building a new above-ground 500 kilovolt transmission line between the power stations to connect the state's existing 500 kV transmission lines.
This will help create a 500 kV ring of transmission infrastructure that will provide the backbone of the state's clean energy electricity grid.
The HTP towers will be around 70-metres tall and be spaced between 400 and 600 metres apart within a 70-metre-wide easement.
Almost 300 submissions were received about the project between November 20 and December 18.
EnergyCo chief executive James Hay said the reference group's formation demonstrated the EnergyCo's commitment to genuine community engagement.
"By incorporating local perspectives, we want to make sure the Hunter Transmission Project is developed with care and input from the Hunter Region community," he said.
"The reference group will serve as a valuable platform for collaborative decision making, which is a vital once-in-a-generation electricity infrastructure project with many benefits to the Hunter Region.
"These include clean, reliable electricity, community development through local projects and employment opportunities for the Hunter community."
