Powercor transmission licence

Vision statement

A new transmission operator will provide big benefits for Victoria

A transmission licence will allow Powercor to provide major businesses and renewable energy proponents more choice when it comes to connecting to Victoria’s electricity grid.

Choice drives competition, leading to lower prices and better service for customers.

In Victoria there are few providers delivering transmission upgrades and connection services. We want to change that.

We already own and operate one of the lowest-cost and most reliable electricity distribution networks in Australia, moving power to 922,000 customers across 64% of Victoria. Many new businesses and renewable energy projects need both transmission and distribution network upgrades to support their energy demand and load.

What we would offer

If granted this licence, we won’t be constructing large transmission line corridors. Our focus will be on building and upgrading transmission infrastructure to connect contained projects to the grid. We would offer planning, design and construction of new terminal station infrastructure, including 220kV lines, for customer-related projects to enable them to easily connect to the transmission network. These projects would include large-scale solar and wind generation, battery storage, data centres and commercial and industrial businesses.

We would also be able to own, operate and maintain any necessary upgrades to the transmission system, providing a valuable option for our customers. Offering transmission services to complement what we already deliver on the distribution network would provide a more seamless experience to major customers, accelerate investment in strategic growth corridors and deliver benefits for regional communities.

Driving economic growth and supporting more renewables

Providing quick and easy power connections for major businesses and clean energy projects is important as Victoria competes nationally and globally to attract investment and jobs.

An additional operator in the market will support more investment by creating the competition needed to significantly drive down transmission connection costs and reduce delivery timelines for people wanting to invest in our state and create the jobs our regional communities need. We are already one of the lowest cost distributors and this will be mirrored within our transmission group.

Faster transmission connection and creating more capacity is also essential to supporting Victoria achieve its target of delivering 65% renewable generation by 2030 and unlocking more than 10,000MW of capacity within our state’s designated renewable energy zones.

More market capability to offer transmission services is critical, and our entry into the market would provide this extra capability.

A dedicated, experienced team

What sets us apart from others in the market is our team of more than 2,000 people, working from 14 depots and offices across western and northern Victoria.

We will be the only provider to offer a full in-house service, from design and planning to construction and maintenance, across both distribution and transmission in western Victoria. Having our distribution and transmission specialists working side-by-side will provide more flexibility and agility, giving customers better service.

We have held an Electricity Distribution Licence for almost 30 years. During this time, we have regularly interacted with transmission network service providers and have a strong understanding of what is involved in undertaking a transmission project, from the technical requirements through to the relevant legal and regulatory framework as well as the stakeholder engagement needs.

Many of our people, including our executives and senior managers, have extensive experience managing and operating both transmission and distribution networks. We know and understand our communities we operate in as our people live and work in them every day. The need for empathetic and authentic engagement with communities and other stakeholders is understood across all levels of our business.

Our stakeholder engagement specialists are embedded across our major projects and customer teams, leading and facilitating effective on-the-ground engagement with customers. Their deep knowledge and expertise will be used to identify and support engagement with those communities living near any major transmission projects.

If granted a licence, we believe that the experience we will provide will build greater confidence in our sector to deliver critical transmission services that are as essential as the projects they are supporting.