A government energy corporation can compulsorily acquire an easement over your farm under your state's land acquisition act, and your rights are identical to someone losing their home to a highway. Private solar and wind farm developers have no such power, and that one distinction shapes everything about how you should respond when the first letter arrives.

Transmission corridors are being built across farmland in NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and Queensland. It's a good idea to prepare early.

Key takeaways

• Private solar and wind farm developers cannot compulsorily acquire your land. They must negotiate a commercial agreement, and you can say no.
• Government energy corporations and authorised network operators, including EnergyCo, Transgrid, VicGrid and ElectraNet, can acquire easements and land interests under state land acquisition legislation.
• If your land is acquired, you're entitled to compensation covering market value, severance, disturbance costs and more.
• NSW landowners hosting eligible transmission lines also receive Strategic Benefit Payments of $200,000 per kilometre, paid over 20 years, in addition to compensation.
• New Victorian legislation, in force since March 2026, allows easement acquisition to begin before the environmental assessment is complete, so acquisition notices may arrive earlier than landowners expect.

Two very different kinds of renewable energy projects

When a renewable energy project approaches your property, the first question to ask is simple: Who is behind it?

A solar or wind farm developer is a private company. It has no power to take your land. If it wants to build on your property, it must negotiate a lease, licence or purchase on commercial terms, and you are free to decline, negotiate hard or walk away entirely.

A transmission project is different. The high-voltage lines that connect renewable energy zones to the grid are delivered by government energy corporations and authorised network operators. These bodies can acquire easements, and in some cases freehold interests, using the same legislation that applies when a highway takes your front paddock:

• NSW: the Land Acquisition (Just Terms Compensation) Act 1991
• Victoria: The Land Acquisition and Compensation Act 1986
• South Australia: the Land Acquisition Act 1969
• Queensland: the Acquisition of Land Act 1967

In practice, this means EnergyCo, Transgrid, VicGrid, AusNet and ElectraNet will try to reach a voluntary agreement with you first. But if negotiations fail, they can compulsorily acquire the easement without your consent. A solar farm needs your signature. A transmission line does not.

How is a transmission easement acquired?

You might receive a letter from a land access team, a request to survey your property, or an invitation to a community information session about a proposed corridor.

From there, the acquiring authority will seek a negotiated easement agreement.

• If you can't reach terms, the formal compulsory process begins, typically with a notice of intention to acquire.
• If you receive one, our guide on what to do after a notice of intention to resume walks through the immediate steps, because transmission corridor landowners receiving opening letters are effectively at the start of that same process.

Whether the easement is agreed or compulsorily acquired, you're entitled to compensation under your state's legislation. That includes the value of the easement itself, any reduction in the value of the rest of your property, and disturbance costs, such as legal and valuation fees.

Our breakdown of what fair compensation covers in a compulsory acquisition explains each entitlement in detail.

Two recent changes make this area more complex than it was even a year ago.

NSW: Strategic Benefit Payments

Since 1 July 2025, eligible private landowners in NSW hosting new major transmission infrastructure receive Strategic Benefit Payments of $200,000 (in 2022 dollars) per kilometre of transmission line hosted, paid in annual instalments over 20 years and indexed to inflation. These payments sit on top of your compensation under the Just Terms Act, not instead of it. Don't let anyone present them as the compensation itself.

Victoria: Acquisition can now start before the environment assessment finishes

In March 2026, Victoria passed the Energy and Other Legislation Amendment (Resilience Reforms and Other Matters) Act 2026. Previously, easement acquisition for transmission projects couldn't begin until the Environment Effects Statement process was complete. That moratorium no longer applies to transmission easements, so VicGrid and electricity corporations can now acquire easements while environmental impact assessment is still underway.

For landowners along the VNI West and Western Renewables Link corridors, this means acquisition notices may arrive far earlier in the project's life than ever before, sometimes before the final route is even settled.

Which projects are acquiring land rights now

The federal Rewiring the Nation program is funding transmission builds across five states, including $490 million specifically for EnergyCo land acquisition in NSW. If your property sits near any of the following, your land may be affected:

• NSW: Central-West Orana REZ (EnergyCo), HumeLink (Transgrid) and the New England REZ.
• Victoria: Western Renewables Link (AusNet), VNI West (VicGrid), and five declared renewable energy zones.
• South Australia: Project EnergyConnect (ElectraNet).
• Tasmania: the Marinus Link corridor.
• Queensland: renewable energy zone commitments under the federal Renewable Energy Transformation Agreement.

If you've heard about a corridor study, received survey requests or seen a project map that touches your boundary, treat it as the start of the process, not background noise.

Who to talk to before you sign anything

Transmission easement negotiations look informal at the start, but every document matters. Access agreements, option deeds and early offers can all affect your position later, and the acquiring authority's representatives are not there to maximise your outcome.

Before signing anything, get advice from a specialist compulsory acquisition lawyer and an independent property valuer with experience in easement compensation. Look for professionals who know your state's legislation, understand how transmission easements affect farming operations, and can negotiate with government authorities on the basis of evidence rather than goodwill.

In most cases, the acquiring authority covers your reasonable legal and valuation costs, so getting proper advice generally costs you nothing out of pocket.

The renewable transition isn't slowing down, and neither are the acquisition timelines behind it. If a transmission project is heading toward your property, the strongest position you can take is an informed one, early.