Land and environmental management
On this page:
Powerlink and the environment
We take environmental matters seriously, and have a rigorous process in place to ensure we minimise any environmental impact of our capital works. All construction activity is closely monitored, and asset-specific Environmental Management Plans are developed for construction activities that may have an environmental impact.
We’ve also undertaken a number of sustainability initiatives at our head office in Virginia.
For more insight into our business and how we work to identify, reduce and manage the impact of our operations on the environments and communities in which we operate, read our Committed to community and environment (PDF 1.33 MB) brochure, or go to our Sustainability page.
Biosecurity management (weed management)
We work cooperatively with landowners and councils to implement weed management strategies during the construction and maintenance of our transmission assets. These include vehicle wash down regimes, avoidance measures, and compliance with Environmental Management Plans.
We also conduct research into the spread and destruction of potential biosecurity threats. We’ve developed action plans to identify and minimise the effects of disease outbreaks and we continue to provide relevant and appropriate support to government agencies and landowners.
Vegetation management
Our vegetation management practices aim to have as little impact on the environment as possible, taking into consideration landowner considerations, costs, public safety, aesthetics and the expectations of the community involved. We look at factors including:
- The need to maintain an adequate safe distance between a transmission line and the surrounding vegetation to protect the community’s safety from any electrical hazard.
- The need to control vegetation on the transmission line easement to minimise any risk of damage to the transmission line from trees or bush fires.
- The visual impact of any vegetation management practices.
- Environmental considerations such as biodiversity conservation, erosion and weed control.
- Legal obligations.
Fire management
We’ve developed comprehensive guidelines on managing fire in and around transmission lines and substations. This includes information for the public, which can be found in the Fire safety section.
Water management
Water saving initiatives have been implemented on Powerlink-operated construction sites where water restrictions are in place, including the use of recycled water for dust suppression, re-scheduling of works in very windy and dry conditions, and minimising vegetation clearing.