Energy Infrastructure & Regional Australia

As Australia accelerates its renewable energy transition, transmission infrastructure is becoming one of the biggest topics shaping regional communities, farmland and future energy reliability.

Transmission lines are essential for connecting:
• Renewable Energy Zones (REZs)
• wind farms
• solar developments
• batteries
• regional generation projects

to homes, businesses and major demand centres.

But while infrastructure is often discussed in technical or engineering terms, the reality is that these projects intersect directly with people, livelihoods, agriculture and generations of land stewardship.

Farming & Transmission Infrastructure

A story that strongly reflects this evolving conversation comes from regional Victoria.

Farmer Simon Tickner from Wallup, Victoria, shared his experience of transmission infrastructure crossing farming land during an interview with Ryan Moloney (“Toadie”) from The New Joneses.

Transmission lines were originally built across Simon’s property during the 1970s. At the time, there was no formal compensation framework in place for landholders.

Decades later, Simon explained that the transmission towers ultimately had minimal impact on his farming operations, with agricultural activity continuing around the tower footprints.

However, the broader conversation today looks very different.

According to Simon, if similar infrastructure were developed under today’s frameworks, compensation outcomes could potentially reach significant long-term value through current benefit-sharing arrangements and landholder agreements.

What Has Changed?

Compensation & Benefit Sharing

In recent years, Australian states have introduced stronger compensation and community benefit-sharing models for transmission infrastructure projects.

These frameworks increasingly recognise:
• land access impacts
• visual amenity considerations
• agricultural disruption
• long-term infrastructure presence
• community expectations

In New South Wales, some transmission projects now include annual payments, community benefit programs and additional compensation structures for affected landholders.

Victoria has also introduced updated approaches focused on visual amenity and ongoing landholder payments.

Community Engagement & Social Licence

The renewable energy transition is not simply an engineering challenge.

It is also a social, regional and community conversation.

In 2024, Australian Energy Ministers endorsed national principles for community engagement relating to transmission infrastructure projects, placing stronger emphasis on:
• early engagement
• transparency
• cultural heritage considerations
• fairness
• community participation

This reflects a growing recognition that social licence plays a critical role in the successful delivery of major infrastructure projects.

Agriculture & Energy Can Coexist

Transmission infrastructure is increasingly becoming part of Australia’s evolving rural landscape.

For many regional communities, the conversation is no longer simply whether infrastructure will exist — but how projects are planned, communicated and delivered.

Experiences from landholders demonstrate that agriculture and energy infrastructure can coexist when projects are:
• carefully planned
• transparently communicated
• fairly compensated
• collaboratively delivered

The long-term success of the energy transition will depend not only on infrastructure itself, but on trust, relationships and meaningful engagement with the communities helping host Australia’s future grid.

Why It Matters

Australia’s future energy system will require significant investment in:
• transmission infrastructure
• renewable generation
• batteries and storage
• regional connectivity

At the same time, regional communities are increasingly seeking:
• fairness
• transparency
• benefit-sharing
• genuine consultation
• long-term regional outcomes

Infrastructure is not just about towers and transmission lines.

It is also about:
• people
• history
• livelihoods
• identity
• trust
• community

As the energy transition accelerates, these conversations will continue shaping how Australia builds its future grid.

Written by Tarnia Riggs.

If there is a future industry topic, infrastructure challenge or energy conversation you would like explored as part of the Energy 101 Series, feel free to connect or reach out.