AEMO has commenced the Invitation to Tender (ITT) phase for a development partner on the Victorian portion of the Victoria to New South Wales Interconnector West (VNI West) Project.
Following a rigorous Registration of Interest (ROI) process, AEMO selected a group of eligible organisations to participate in the ITT.
During the ROI process prospective tenderers heard directly from Traditional Owners, stakeholders and community representatives about their expectations, helping to deepen the tenderers’ understanding of community perspectives.
The upcoming ITT is designed to identify the most suitable development partner to support the successful delivery of VNI West in collaboration with TCV in its transmission development role and AEMO in its transmission planning and transmission augmentation contracting role in Victoria.
As the project ITT progresses, AEMO will continue to update the market, with the expectation that the development partner will be announced in early 2025.
Recently, the Victorian Government issued a NEVA Order giving AEMO the necessary authority to continue to progress the work undertaken by TCV so far, and allowing AEMO in its role as the Victorian transmission planner to formally release the ITT as an essential next step in finding a development partner to assist TCV with delivering the VNI West project.
VNI West is a planned high-capacity 500 kV transmission line connecting New South Wales and Victoria, linking with the Western Renewables Link through a new terminal station near Bulgana.
This project is vital to harness renewable energy in both states and maintain the reliability and security of electricity supply as coal-fired power stations retire and energy demand continues to grow.
The delivery phase of VNI West is planned to begin in 2026, with significant early works, planning and community engagement activities continuing throughout the interim period.
More information on VNI West and TCV is available at transmissionvictoria.com.au.
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