Project Assessment Conclusions Report – Summary
Regulatory Investment Test – Transmission – December 2024
AusNet initiated this Regulatory Investment Test for Transmission (RIT-T) to evaluate options to address the electricity network constraints in Wodonga – Barnawartha in north-eastern Victoria which are restricting new renewable generation connections.
The Project Specification Consultation Report (PSCR), which represents the first step in the RIT-T process in accordance with clause 5.16 of the National Electricity Rules (NER) and section 4.2 of the RIT-T Application Guidelines was published in January 2024. The Project Assessment Draft Report (PADR), is the second stage of the RIT-T process, was published in July 2024 providing information about the draft conclusions of the RIT-T. No submissions were received during the RIT-T PADR consultation phase.
This report, the Project Assessment Conclusions Report (PACR) is the final stage of the RIT-T consultation process, which confirms the findings in the PADR.
The preferred solution is to commission the WOTS spare transformer and add a new WO-BWA 66 kV line in parallel with the existing line. The estimated capital cost of the preferred option is $80.4 million.
In accordance with clause 5.16B(c) of the NER, within 30 days of the date of publication of this PACR, any party disputing the conclusion made in this PACR should give notice of the dispute in writing setting out the grounds for the dispute (the dispute notice) to the AER with a copy of the dispute notice to AusNet. If there are no dispute notices within 30 days of the date of publication of this PACR, AusNet expects to implement the preferred option.