Last week, AUSVEG staff visited potato farms in the Ballarat region to meet with growers to learn about issues impacting production, including rising input costs, as well as the impact that the proposed route for the Western Renewables Link will have on local potato production.

The project, awarded to AusNet in 2019, will require 190 kilometres of new overhead high-voltage transmission lines to run from Sydenham to Bulgana – running through dozens of farms in the state’s west – and would require about 380 towers, each up to 85 metres high. A new terminal station will also be built to the north of Ballarat.

AUSVEG spoke to growers who will be directly impacted by the project’s proposed route, and are concerned about the project’s impact on their production, as well as the viability of their businesses and the region’s productive future.