Published Project View

Clearing for project activities throughout the southwest of Western Australia for Western Power's 'South West Interconnected System' transmission network (north to Kalbarri, east to Kalgoorlie and south to Ravensthorpe).

PROJECT 1
Project name: Cannington Terminal to Marriott Rd 132 kV Transmission Line Decommissioning Project
Project location: 120km from Forrestdale to Brunswick
Approved project area: 27 hectares
Project bioregion: Swan Coastal Plain
Assessment criteria: (a), (b), (d), (e), (f) & (h)
Significant residual impact:
Loss of up to 27 hectares of native vegetation in good to completely degraded (Keighery 1994) condition that includes:
- small remnants of potential threatened fauna habitat;
- 0.23 hectares of two Threatened Ecological Communities (Swan Coastal Plain florisitic community type 3a - Eucalyptus calophylla - Kingia australis woodlands on heavy soils, and Swan Coastal Plain floristic community type 09 - dense shrublands on clay flats);
- areas of under-represented Heddle vegetation complexes Guildford, Dardanup and Southern River;
- vegetation associated with a number of wetlands and watercourses (including Serpentine River, Murray River, Waroona Drain, Harvey River and a number of conservation category and Environmental Protection Policy wetlands);
- up to 1 hectare of Bush Forever Site 253;
- a combined total of 1.3 hectares of Bush Forever Sites 77, 345 and 368; and
- 2.2 hectares of State Forest.
Related offset(s): Offsets 1 & 2

PROJECT 2
Project name: Muja to Wellstead 330kV Transmission Line Project
Project status: Current
Project location: 276km from Muja power station (20km south east of Collie) to the Southdown Joint Venture Magnetite Project at Wellstead (90km north east of Albany).
Approved project area: 163 hectares
Project bioregion: Esperance Plains, Mallee, Avon Wheatbelt, Jarrah Forest
Assessment criteria: (a), (b), (e), (f) & (h)
Significant residual impact:
Loss of up to 163 hectares (permanent removal of up to 19 hectares and temporary/partial removal of up to 144 hectares) of native vegetation in excellent to degraded (Keighery 1994) condition that includes:
- remnant vegetation areas of high quality containing several records of priority flora.
- 147.5 hectares of black cockatoo habitat.
- 36.4 hectares of vegetation significant as a remnant including 8 Beard Vegetation Associations (352, 938, 967, 974, 992, 1075, 1095 & 1200) which retain less than 30% of their pre-European extent.
- 10.85 hectares of vegetation growing in association with waterways including several tributaries of the Collie River including one of five main tributaries, Collie River East. The other major waterways that the alignment will traverse include the Arthur River and Kojonup Brook (3 times), Wadjekanup River, Gordon River, Pallinup River (twice), and the Peenup River.
- areas of Muja State Forest, Muja Conservation Park, Haddleton Reserve and Greaves Road Nature Reserve totalling 61.7 hectares.
Related offset(s): Offsets 3, 4 & 5

CPS 1918/2 Offset Conditions (active from 3 August 2009 to 9 January 2013):

PART I - TYPE OF CLEARING AUTHORISED
4. Requirements prior to undertaking clearing
(a) Prior to clearing any native vegetation under this Permit, the permit holder must:
(ii) if an offset is required to be implemented pursuant to condition 8(c), provide the CEO with an offset proposal for the CEO’s approval.

PART III - ASSESSMENT PRINCIPLES
8. Assessment against the Clearing Principles
(c) If part or all of the clearing to be done is or is likely to be at variance with one or more of the clearing principles, then the permit holder must implement an offset in accordance with Part V of this Permit with respect to that native vegetation.

PART V – OFFSETS
14. Determination of offsets
(a) In determining the offset to be implemented with respect to a particular area of native vegetation proposed to be cleared under this Permit, the permit holder must have regard to the offset principles contained in condition 15 of this Permit.

(b) Once the permit holder has developed an offset proposal, the permit holder must provide that offset proposal to the CEO for the CEO’s approval in accordance with condition 4(a)(ii), prior to undertaking any clearing to which the offset related, and prior to implementing the offset.

15. Offset principles
For the purpose of this Part, the offset principles are as follows:
(a) direct offsets should directly counterbalance the loss of the native vegetation;
(b) contributing offsets should complement and enhance the direct offset;
(c) offsets are implemented only once all avenues to avoid, minimise, rectify or reduce environmental impacts have been exhausted;
(d) the environmental values, habitat, species, ecological community, physical area, ecosystem, landscape, and hydrology of the offset should be the same as, or better than, that of the area of native vegetation being offset;
(e) a ratio greater than 1:1 should be applied to the size of the area of native vegetation that is offset to compensate for the risk that the offset may fail;
(f) offsets must entail a robust and consistent assessment process;
(g) in determining an appropriate offset, consideration should be given to ecosystem function, rarity and type of ecological community, vegetation condition, habitat quality and area of native vegetation cleared;
(h) the offset should either result in no net loss of native vegetation, or lead to a net gain in native vegetation and improve the condition of the natural environment;
(i) offsets must satisfy all statutory requirements;
(j) offsets must be clearly defined, documented and audited;
(k) offsets must ensure a long-term (10-30 year) benefit; and
(l) an environmental specialist must be involved in the design, assessment and monitoring of offsets.

16. Duration of offsets
(a) The permit holder must ensure that an offset implemented under this Permit continues to be implemented for the term of this Permit.

(b) If for any reason an offset is not continually implemented for the term of this Permit, the permit holder must:
(i) implement the offset again within 12 months of becoming aware that the offset is not being maintained; and
(ii) if necessary, modify the offset in a manner that increases the likelihood that the offset will be implemented for the term of this Permit.