Ann: Bowdens Silver Project Update, page-95

I have been researching the potential route for the 66Kv transmission line I suggested a few weeks ago and I think there is route that avoids all private land ownership. Not only that, it would make the transmission line cost effective as there would not be lengthy delays dealing with private landowners. This route basically starts at the Kandos Endeavour Energy feeder 839 sub-station down the disused railway corridor between Kandos and Lue to the mine site. The length of the rail corridor between Kandos and Lue is a distance 30.3 kms.

The railway track and corridor (official title the Gwabegar branch line) is managed by Transport Asset Management for Transport for NSW. As an authorised network operator, there is likely to be no difficulty for Endeavour Energy to arrange an easement for the transmission line just as they previously proposed for the failed Kepco Bylong coal mine.

But here is the best bit, SVL now owns land adjacent to the track about just after the Lue Rubbish Depot about 1.8km from the Lue Village (see lots outlined in red on Map1 below). I checked and confirmed the ownership with the NSW Land Registry.

Map 1 was sourced from the Bowdens Silver website (https://bowdenssilver.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Fig-D_Land-Ownership.pdf).

And it gets even better, this property is where the relocated Maloneys Road will be constructed. According to the Bowdens EIS, the relocated road will move mine transport away from the Lue Village and the currently void conditions of approval included the requirement for the relocated road to be constructed and sealed before mining operations commenced. It also means, they could take the transmission line straight onto their land from the railway corridor to a substation at the start of the mine site (indicated on map 1). They may even be able to go underground through any environmentally sensitive areas on this land and the mine site (don’t forget the koalas).

Is this route feasible? I am not an engineer, but the Kepco proposal was going to use the rail corridor for 7kms, so provided the upgrades to the Ilford substation are completed construction of the 66Kv line for another 23km up the corridor to the mine site should work. So hopefully someone here can answer the question of viability.

I will talk about the about the other possible routes included in the EIS in another post but have amended Map 2 below to include my possible route.