Update your contact details
It’s important we have the most up-to-date contact details and land access requirements for our landholders on file. If your contact details or relevant property information has changed – you can update this information quickly and easily through our online form.
Update your contact details
You can also email [email protected] to update your details. A Powerlink representative may contact you to discuss the changes if required.
What is an easement?
We do not own the land most of our transmission network is located on. Our transmission lines are generally built on easements over the land. An easement gives us the legal right to access land to carry out work to build, operate and maintain our transmission network.
The easement is registered on the property title and the landholder retains ownership and responsibility for the land. The rights of the landholder and Powerlink are explained in the registered easement terms and conditions.
To protect the safety of people living and working near electricity infrastructure and the safe operation of the transmission network, there are safety requirements about the activities permitted on or near an easement. Many activities can continue as normal, but some activities are not allowed largely for electrical safety reasons.
We are committed to working closely with landholders to ensure this information is clearly understood and implemented correctly. If you want to carry out an activity on a Powerlink easement and aren’t sure if it’s allowed — simply call us during office hours on (07) 3866 1313. We’ll discuss your proposal and advise the next steps which may include making a co-use request.
Activities on an easement
Check out our ‘Activities on an easement’ brochure for more information on how we plan, build, operate and maintain our infrastructure. This resource also outlines the type of activities that can and can’t be undertaken on or near our easements and provides helpful information that supports safe working habits for landholders.
Some examples of activities which are not allowed on an easement include:
- building houses
- placing obstructions (e.g. a small shed) within 20m of a transmission tower
- operating mobile plant equipment (e.g. a tractor) that breaches the overhead statutory clearance distances.
If you’d like to carry out an activity on an easement, please call us on (07) 3866 1313 to discuss it first.
Maintenance works on your property
A maintenance representative will contact you on behalf of Powerlink prior to any maintenance work occurring.
We maintain our network in a variety of ways to ensure our network continues operating safely and reliably; including:
- routine inspections on easements and assets
- vegetation and debris management to maintain safety clearances
- minor works of infrastructure, replacement of parts and emergency repair of damage
- access track management as required
- installing or replacing signage, or anti-climbing barriers on towers.
Easement Terms and Conditions
An example of Powerlink’s Easement Terms and Conditions are available to view in the document below. This document will give some indication of the rights and obligations as they apply to a property where Powerlink has a registered power line easement.
Please note that easement Terms and Conditions may vary from property to property depending on a range of factors including land tenure and the particular easement Terms and Conditions that applied at the time the acquisition occurred.
For further information on our standards and commitments when entering and using land check out our Land Access Protocol.
Comparing overhead and underground transmission infrastructure
The University of Queensland and Curtin University have completed an independent analysis of the benefits and trade-offs between overhead and underground transmission line infrastructure. The review, called ‘Comparing High Voltage Overhead and Underground Transmission Infrastructure’, seeks to establish a clear and consistent approach to evaluate overhead transmission lines and underground transmission cables. Powerlink commissioned the research.
The purpose of the report was not to identify a preferred technology, but rather outline the considerations and trade-offs associated with both overhead transmission lines and underground transmission cables. The research explored a broad range of technical, economic, environmental, social and cultural factors linked to expanding Australia’s electricity grid to support the energy transformation currently underway.
The review’s Summary Report and associated Comparison Table are available online on the University of Queensland and Curtin University websites. The below brochure provides an overview of key research findings, examining the different perspectives between overhead transmission lines and underground transmission cables.
Read the overview
