VIC:$1b plan to reduce powerline risk

AAP General News (Australia)
12-29-2011
VIC:$1b plan to reduce powerline risk

The Victorian government has outlined a billion dollar plan to reduce the bushfire
risk of the state's powerlines, nearly three years after powerlines sparked devastating
blazes on Black Saturday.

Energy Minister MICHAEL O'BRIEN'S announced the government would boost funding for
the Safer Electricity Assets Fund from 50 million dollars to up to 250 million dollars.

He says up to 200 million dollars of the fund will be used to replace the state's most
dangerous powerlines over the next 10 years.

But the government will require the state's electricity distribution businesses to
invest an estimated half a billion dollars in asset protection and control equipment.

AAP RTV ce/gfr/wf

KEYWORD: BUSHFIRES POWER (MELBOURNE)

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