Bushfire concern for landowners with threat of HumeLink transmission lines

"We spent day and night fighting fires," the Adelong farmer said of the 2019 Dunns Road bushfires.

"We had friends and family come in to help fight the fire and that is the only reason we didn't lose everything."

Mrs Quilty will never get over it saying: "it is amazing how it affects you - it's a trauma that is there forever."

And she is worried her worst nightmare may soon happen again with the threat of 500kv HumeLink transmission lines through their property.

"In case of fires it makes life so dangerous," she said. Last year the underground feasibility report was released, which ruled out the possibility of putting the lines underground.

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A Transgrid spokesperson said undergrounding would not be consistent with the rules from the AER that require Transgrid to propose the most efficient option for consumers based on the capital cost of the solution, ongoing operational costs, market benefits, expected reliability, and costs associated with the impact on landowners, the community and the environment.

"Given the cost-of-living pressures being experienced by consumers, Transgrid is committed to doing everything we can to put downward pressure on customer bills," the spokesperson said.

"Transgrid is committed to continuing to work with the State and Federal governments, the Australian Energy Regulator, local communities and affected landowners to ensure best practice planning and delivery for the HumeLink project."

However, farmers are still pushing for the underground route with many outraged Transgrid is putting a price on human life and property.

NSW Farmers' energy transition working group chair Reg Kidd said they had not thought about the real cost of the lines if a fire started.

"We have lost hundreds of people to these horrific bushfires, and the economic cost is in the hundreds of billions," he said.

"Underground power lines might cost more now, but we would argue that if they save lives and improve firefighting efforts then that is money well spent."

For Jess Reynolds nothing about the project makes sense from the route, to the bushfire risks and the disruption in operations for a working property.

Mrs Reynolds will be affected by the lines a number of properties including her own, her families and the property she works on at Reiland Angus, Killimicat Station.

"It shouldn't even be going through here," she said.

"The route doesn't meet any of their criteria - keeping the transmission line as straight as possible, selecting the shortest possible route between two substations and where possible paralleling existing transmission easements or using public land."

After she lost 600 sheep and 40 cows during the Dunns Road bushfire Mrs Renyolds said the bushfire risk was too high but another major issue was how the construction and continued maintenance would affect the property's workings.

"Trangrid has had no answers for us on the bushfire risk," she said.

Mrs Reynolds said in the short-term the construction would cause issues with calving and joining on the stud with the disruptions of vehicles and biosecurity risks, as well as long-term erosion problems from tracks needed to be built to put the towers up, further disruptions for future maintenance and not being able to get planes up near the area to spread fertiliser.