The Mayor of Light Regional Council, Bill Close, has expressed significant concerns regarding the proposed $47 million transmission corridor by ElectraNet. While Close acknowledges the potential benefits of improved power reliability and cost-effectiveness for residents and businesses, he highlights the adverse effects on local farmers.
ElectraNet’s plan involves installing high-voltage transmission lines across farmland, which Close argues will financially disadvantage farmers for decades. The company intends to provide a one-time compensation fee to affected farmers for the loss of agricultural land. However, the challenges extend far beyond the initial installation year.
Farmers will face long-term revenue losses due to reduced cropping areas and restrictions on agricultural practices around the transmission towers. Close emphasizes the need for farmers to exercise heightened caution when using machinery, given the risks posed by severe weather conditions. He recalls the devastating storms of 2016 that knocked down power lines, sparking fires and damaging crops.
Reflecting on his personal experience, Close recounted a recent night spent vigilantly monitoring his property to prevent fires from threatening his grain crops. He noted that in his 50 years of farming at Gawler River, he has not received any meaningful compensation for the transmission lines that cross his fields. His grandfather received a few hundred pounds from the former ETSA around 60 years ago, an amount that has since been overshadowed by rising insurance costs and diminished productivity.
Close argues that it is unfair for more farmers to shoulder the financial burden of infrastructure development that primarily benefits the wider community. He is calling for a revised compensation model that adequately reflects the ongoing costs and risks faced by farmers. Specifically, he advocates for an annual indexed rental payment for the use of prime cropping land, similar to arrangements in other Australian states.
This approach, according to Close, is not unprecedented. Other infrastructure projects, such as wind and solar farms, often include substantial annual fees for land use. The mayor’s call for equitable compensation underscores the broader issue of balancing infrastructure development with the rights and livelihoods of local farmers.
