Greater Shepparton City Council wants cropping land at Dookie to be excluded from the Central North Renewable Energy Zone.
Photo by
Geoff Adams
The community will now be consulted more on a proposed Renewable Energy Zone in the region.
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City of Greater Shepparton Mayor Shane Sali announced at the November council meeting that VicGrid had said it would do further consultations on the Central North Renewable Energy Zone early in 2026.
Council had been pushing for consultation between VicGrid and the community ever since an area including Pine Lodge, Cosgrove and Dookie was introduced without prior public consultation.
The Central North REZ was established under the Victorian Transmission Plan to co-ordinate renewable generation and transmission development across Victoria.
Initially covering areas west of Shepparton, the REZ was reconfigured in the 2025 Victorian Transmission Plan, after the initial consultation had concluded, with a new section added between Shepparton East and Benalla without any consultation on it.
The eastern end of the Central North Renewable Energy Zone as it currently stands.
This new section includes land of high agricultural value and cropping yield.
VicGrid took submissions this month about the zone, including one from council that was made after an urgent motion was put to the August council meeting for council to reach out to the community for their views and commission its own report.
Council did targeted interviews and an online survey that received more than 200 responses as part of its report.
Landholders expressed strong concern around the loss of productive farmland, landscape change and perceived inequities in benefit distribution.
The review did, however, note that renewable energy can coexist with agriculture if projects are strategically located on lower-productivity land.
The results of the report by consultants Sequana were tabled at the November council meeting.
The submission council put to VicGrid outlined its concerns and requested VicGrid refine the eastern REZ boundaries to exclude high-value farmland, flood-prone areas and land with significant infrastructure investment.
It also asked that irrigated land east of McEwen Rd from the western REZ area be removed.
The original draft (yellow) that was put out to public consultation, and the new areas that had not been (blue), that was not.
The submission also asked that Traditional Owners be engaged to identify and protect cultural heritage sites, and that detailed environmental assessments — including impacts on nature reserves — be conducted.
Council also requested clarification of assumptions in scenario two of VicGrid’s modelling, particularly regarding wind generation and infrastructure needs, and asked for a targeted two-month community engagement program for the eastern REZ.
At the council meeting, Cr Geoff Akers said VicGrid needed to do proper community consultation.
He raised concerns about the impacts on farming in the zone around the Dookie area, speaking of the “very productive” dryland cropping land, which he said should be retained for agriculture.
Cr Akers also spoke of environmental and cultural concerns that needed to be looked at.
“There’s a number of cultural significant sites that VicGrid have not properly identified and excluded from the report, and a number of environmental reserves at Dookie that need our consideration,” he said.
Outside the meeting, Cr Akers said council would continue to advocate for boundary refinements and transparent engagement to ensure the REZ delivers environmental benefits without undermining Greater Shepparton’s agricultural economy.
“We need a consistent approach that protects our farming base while enabling renewable energy,” he said.
“Our region’s land isn’t just a business; it is many residents’ livelihood and part of the food supply chain.
“Losing productive ground to large-scale energy projects would have a profound impact on the agriculture industry.
“Renewables need to go where they won’t destroy prime farmland.”
Cr Sali said council had brought the issues of the REZ to the community, and VicGrid now needed to engage meaningfully with landholders before any decisions were finalised.
“We’re calling for a fair, transparent process that respects local priorities,” he said.
Cr Sali was concerned if council had not raised this with VicGrid, the REZ would have “powered ahead” without the consultation that will now take place next year.
“It’s pleasing that they’ve listened and taken into account what we raised,” he said.
“This is not how you engage with the community when you want to introduce something significant.”
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