The Minister for Energy and Water Utilities Hon Stephen Robertson initiated a review by Daryl Somerville to curb the increasing cost of electricity for consumers in Queensland.

This second Somerville Review, released in December 2011, identified savings of $1.5B can be achieved by easing the rigid rules requiring duplicated infrastructure. The review recommends a more flexible and cost effective approach, including use of mobile generators to provide back-up service for the Energex and Ergon electricity distribution networks.

Read more,,,> Minister's Press Release 13 Oct 2011

Throwing light on overcharged electricity supply,,,> Courier Mail 5 Dec 2011

Power firms should have been reigned in ,,,> Courier Mail 8 Dec 2011

Power system proves you can pay ,,,> Courier Mail 12 Dec 2011

Darryl Somerville interview ,,,> Link to ABC612 interview by Steve Austin 8 Dec 2011

Energex claim their proposed second Loganlea to Jimboomba high voltage power line is required to duplicate the existing F820 power line to achieve the dual feeder (N-1) reliability required for Jimboomba substation. However the Somerville review could enable the Minister to scrap this controversial proposal, require Energex to consider more flexible alternatives and save the expected $50M in construction, easement acquisition and environmental offset costs for consumers.

The map below, shows the existing F820 (110kV) power line from Loganlea to Jimboomba (in red) which continues on to support Beaudesert (as F7351). It also shows the existing 33kV (back-up) power lines from Browns Plains and Beenleigh (in green) as well as the proposed duplicate power line (F7354 in blue). This map is from the Energex Final Report (27 April 2009) which was used to justify the proposed second powerline.

This map was published 6 months after the Corridor Selection Report (Oct 2008) which had already selected the Logan River route (with 7 river crossings), yet this map indicates the proposed duplicate power line has only one river crossing. [VETO is not sure whether this is another example of poor planning process or another attempt to mislead.]

The chosen route for the proposed duplicate power line actually follows F820 for the first 8kms, sharing poles over Kingston Road and the Logan Motorway (not very reliable), then follows the Logan River in the Q100 flood hazard zone, with 5 crossings within 6 kms (very unreliable, refer flood submission below).

We certainly expect the recent Somerville Review recommendations to enable a more flexible and sensible approach to be adopted for our community. With the existing 33kV back-up lines plus mobile generators able to maintain service (when required) while avoiding the high cost and high impacts of the proposed second powerline from Loganlea to Jimboomba.

VETO opposition to the proposed Energex Loganlea to Jimboomba high voltage powerline has been vindicated by a Logan City Council report that assessed 13,000 pages of project information obtained through Right to Information legislation.

Energex claim they need the second 23km high voltage powerline from Loganlea to Jimboomba to improve reliability for Jimboomba substation.

How can it - when both powerlines rely on Loganlea substation for supply and the proposed powerline will then share the same easement as the existing F820 line for 8km and even the same poles over the Logan Motorway - with one incident able to knock out both lines?

The proposed powerline then follows the Logan River with 5 river crossings within 6kms and 29 concrete poles attached to 70 tonne conrete plinths located in the Logan River flood hazard area.

Read the full Jimboomba Times article in Media Articles

So in addition to the impact on our Logan river environment, floods will regularly restrict access, disrupt this proposed powerline and cause it to be unreliable in the wet season like the existing line.

By contrast, through Logan City Council efforts, we now know the substation at Yarrabilba is planned for 2027. We also know that bringing forward construction of the Yarrabilba substation would provide a more reliable alternative source of supply, with more than double the capacity to support future growth for Yarrabilba, Cedar Creek, Logan Village and a short underground link along Camp Cable Road to Jimboomba substation.

Despite Energex attempts to inflate the cost of the Yarrabilba substation alternative, detailed assessments indicate this alternative will cost less than the proposed second powerline.

The key point though, is that if the substation is brought forward, the second Loganlea to Jimboomba powerline is not needed, saving more than $40+ million in future costs for all consumers and delivering a more reliable, lower impact solution for our community.

We therefore call on Minister Stephen Robertson to reject the Energex second powerline proposal, listen to Logan City Council and engage Powerlink to plan and construct the Yarrabilba substation.

Energex are persisting with their proposal to construct a second high voltage sub-transmission line from Loganlea to Jimboomba substation following the Logan River with 5 crossings within 6kms and 28 power poles actually located within the Logan River Flood Hazard (Q100) zone. Energex have advised Minister Stephen Robertson that they can “engineer these poles to withstand flood waters and include scour protection measures”.

Energex state that this second powerline is required to improve reliability of supply for Jimboomba and Beaudesert, but how does purposely locating this powerline in the Logan River floodplain improve reliability? We are amazed Energex can forget the lessons from the 2011 floods so quickly, including their own staff being forced to evacuate the new Energex Corporate office in Newstead because of the Brisbane River floods and loss of power !

  Maintenance crews needed boats to reach low voltage distribution powerlines during the January 2011 floods.  But how will they maintain the high voltage powerline in the Logan River in the midst of high flood currents ? 

Energex planners believe they can “flood-proof this powerline” by mounting the high voltage power poles on 70 tonne concrete pedestals so each pole is above the 1974 (Q100) flood level.  Apart from the significant impact these structures will have on the fragile Logan River environment, Energex appear to have forgotten that the Logan River has a history of devastating floods, with the 1887 flood higher than 1974 and more severe future floods predicted.

Energex also appear to have missed the point that even if one or more poles are not knocked over by floating trees and other debris carried by strong currents, it is very likely that rising flood waters will require the powerline to be turned-off to reduce the safety risk for residents and emergency service workers.  So how will this investment of $40+ million improve electricity reliability for our community?  How are Energex crews expected to maintain this powerline even during wet weather when the flood plain is inaccessible, let alone during flood events when it will too difficult and  dangerous to get anywhere near this proposed powerline.  Are Energex planning to buy more boats, with bigger motors to overcome the strong flood currents?

So often during the recent floods we heard that "Water and Power don’t mix” but here we have Energex ignoring their own advice, with their planners about to create an expensive, unreliable powerline that will be an ongoing liability for their staff and our community.

To highlight the seriousness of a Government Operating Corporation purposely planning to spend $40+ million to build essential service infrastructure in a known flood hazard zone, VETO prepared a submission to the Queensland Floods Commission Inquiry. 

Please download this submission, to read more,,,  (2.4MB).  We welcome your feedback on this.

A Logan City Council commissioned report reviewing the Energex proposed second high voltage (110kV) power line from Loganlea to Jimboomba has been finalised. The report highlights a number of discrepancies in the Energex proposal that will come at a cost to consumers and our local environment.

Logan City Council appointed Cardno, an experienced infrastructure planning consultancy, to review both the environmental, planning and costing aspects of Energex's proposal and develop the alternative local substation options proposed by Council to provide better environmental solutions with the least cost for consumers.

double click image to read Jimboomba Times article

Logan Mayor, Pam Parker, said the report highlighted a number of flaws during the creation of Energex's proposed power line and stressed Council was committed to doing all it could to address this for the benefit of residents and the local environment. "Cardno's report, which reviewed Energex's Corridor Selection Report, has shown that the proposal is the least preferred option on both environmental and social grounds and that the methodology was flawed," she said.    Read more,,,>  Logan City Council article

VETO is very grateful for the unwavering support of our Mayor, Councillors and Logan City Council staff in pursuing better alternatives. The Cardno Report highlights the flaws in the Energex planning process and recommends other lower impact, lower cost and more reliable solutions.  VETO hope to meet with the Minister at the forthcoming Community Cabinet to ask for the Energex proposal to be rejected.  We also support the Logan City Council call for Energex and Powerlink to conduct a (transparent) strategic electricity supply study with community stakeholders to deliver cost effective and reliable solutions for the City of Logan.

On Friday 11Feb11 VETO attended the launch of the Environmental Justice Society & website Environmental-Justice-Society, by the very inspiring international environmentalist, Erin Brockovich.

EJS Executive secretary Rebecca Jancauskas said the main aim of the society was to enable Australians to voice their concerns and take action. "The committee will help Australians pursue justice if their life or the livelihood of the community is being negatively impacted by the actions of a company," she said.

While the EJS focus is on health impacts from chemicals, VETO has asked whether EMF related health impacts can be considered. VETO President Dieter Lacko also asked about Energex plans to clear 42.5 hectares of Koala habitat for their proposed second Loganlea to Jimboomba 110kV powerline. Erin offered to chain herself to a tree to protect koalas, “because she loves koalas” and she agreed that we need to protect what’s left of our natural environment, while we still can.

Logan City residents issued with Notices of Intention to Resume by Energex for the controversial Loganlea to Jimboomba 110KV transmission line along the Logan River and through the Camp Cable koala corridor have drawn their collective swords, lodging a box full of objections at Energex Headquaters in Brisbane on Thursday 10Feb’11.

In a battle which has taken on David and Goliath proportions, Logan solicitor Maree Slingsby, who filed the objections today, described the decision of so many affected residents to fight the Notices as "outstanding." She personally lodged objections on behalf of 35 residents, and knows of other objections being lodged.

"Usually with these resumption matters, people are so fed up by the time it gets to this point that they just throw in the towel" she said." Here, over 50% of people who received Notices of Intention to Resume have objected, and those are just the ones I know about." Residents intend to take the fight to Energex, and expect to appear at hearings in relation to their individual objections over the next few weeks.

Chris Nas, Dieter Lacko & Maree Slingsby receipting
35 Objections with Wayne Hickey (2nd from right) of
Energex in the new (expensive) Energex Head Office
at Reddacliff Street in Newstead Qld.

"It was always incomprehensible that Energex would contemplate using a volatile river like the Logan for an electricity easement" said Slingsby. "Now, with the lessons from January 2011 so clear, it is even more so. Infrastructure needs to be able to cope with extreme climate events. Intentionally sticking this powerline in the path of future floods makes absolutely no sense, when there are cheaper and better alternatives."

VETO was very pleased to participate in the Logan City Council Australia Day awards. We were nominated in the “Outstanding Community Organisation” category for our efforts to achieve a better outcome with the provision of reliable and lower impact electricity supply for our community.

The Jimbooma Community Care Association (Caddies) won the Davida Steel Memorial Award for outstanding contribution by a not for profit community organisation. VETO congratulates Caddies, all the nominees and all the other deserving winners of these Council Australia Day awards. We also thank Logan City Council for organizing this event to recognise the high level of community spirit in Logan.

< double click image to enlarge

Despite the January 2011 moderate to major flood levels in the Logan and Albert rivers our community was spared the destructive flooding that impacted so many other parts of Queensland and other States. We were lucky that a large proportion of the heavy rainfall was further west and we were lucky that the not yet finished Wyaralong Dam (on the western, Teviot Brook part of the Logan River catchment) was able to capture 103,000 MegaLitres of water since it was plugged on 17Dec 2010. However for future high rainfall events, we do need to remember that Wyaralong is not a flood mitigation dam and a ‘full dam holds no (more) water’!

Even with our luck this time, we did see huge volumes of water flowing rapidly down the Logan and Albert rivers with the Mt Lindesay highway, Waterford-Tamborine road and many other local roads cut. We can also relate to the destructive impact that the flooding rivers had elsewhere in Queensland and this flood provides a timely reminder of just how vulnerable we all are to these regular weather events. 

Jimboomba Times 19Jan11 p1
(double click image to enlage)

The State Government expects Local Government Councils to adopt climate ready strategies when developing major infrastructure. Which includes avoiding development in areas at risk of increased flooding, storm surges and reducing habitat loss and fragmentation (Qld Govt Climate Ready Infrastructure factsheet). These principles are needed to increase the resilience of infrastructure and reduce the vulnerability of our communities. They have certainly been dramatically reinforced by the 2011 cyclones and floods. It is also obvious that all Govt. agencies and Queensland communities need to follow these principles, even Energex !

Following resident requests to local members and representations to Minister Stephen Robertson, Energex has agreed to extend the response period for property owners who received Notice of Intention to Resume letters for the proposed Loganlea to Jimboomba powerline project.

"Due to the Christmas/New Year holiday period falling within the objection period, Energex is sending letters to property owners offering landowners an objection period extension," Member for Albert, Mrs Margaret Keech said.

Mrs Keech advised that, "Affected residents need to be aware that if they wish to object to the Notice of Intention to Resume, they must apply to Energex in writing by 10 January 2011 for a 30 day extension."     

Read more...>  Jimboomba Times 22Dec10 p3    and  Albert and Logan News 7 Jan11 p3

Contact VETO if you need help with this, we can help with the extension request and the objection.

Between March and June 2010, VETO and LACA (Logan and Albert Conservation Association) conducted a survey of 50 local residents along Camp Cable Rd, Jimboomba and Waterford-Tamborine Rd, Logan Village. This survey revealed 42 property owners had seen or heard Koalas and 32 reported Gliders on their properties. These properties are along the Energex preferred corridor where Energex propose to locate the 110kV powerline and expand the cleared easement to 40 metres. 

Read more...>

Also, if you have Koala sightings on your property, we recommend you report and register them with the Australian Koala Foundation map.

Residents directly affected by the PROPOSED Loganlea to Jimboomba 110kV powerline are being contacted by Energex Valuers to have valuations on their properties and are being harassed to sign contracts for compensation.

Residents DO NOT have to sign anything at this stage. This proposed powerline corridor has not been approved by the Minister for Mines and Energy, Stephen Robertson MP. Till then the fight for a better alternative is continuing. Even if he does sign-off the Community Infrastructure Designation, residents have 3 years to seek compensation. Residents are advised to wait until the decision is made and should also seek their own independent legal and compensation valuation advice. This compensation could be greater than the Energex offer and should cover your legal and valuer costs. Energex are trying to intimidate residents and convince everyone that their flawed proposal will happen - even when it hasn't been approved.        Stand firm to protect your rights, our community and our environment !

Read more...> Energex's Attitude Immoral

Accepting compensation early is like accepting payment for a car accident before the accident actually occurs.