A legal firm is sending letters to landowners impacted by power line proposals

Slater and Gordon says it compiled its own mailing list to send letters to people in the proposed path of the controversial Western Renewables Link and VNI West projects.

Some who have received the letters had been concerned the legal firm had partnered with power operators AusNet and Transmission Company Victoria to fast-track the projects.

AusNet has been sending landholders compensation valuations for the right to acquire an easement on their property for the proposed WRL project.

TCV started advising about 350 landholders last week whether they were located on the proposed path of the VNI West high voltage power line which aims to connect the Victoria and NSW energy grids.

The project will link renewable projects in Victoria's west to energy hubs in Bulgana (near Ararat) and Kerang before crossing into NSW.

Landholders will be offered advice on issues such as farming with transmission lines, biosecurity arrangements, access agreements and compensation for easement and other payments.

AusNet says proposed compensation ranges from hundreds of thousands to multi-million dollar offers.

The proposed compensation is on top of the Victorian government payment of $8000 per year per kilometre of new transmission easement hosted for 25 years, totalling $200,000.

Manisha Blencowe, Slater and Gordon's practice group leader (land acquisition and general litigation), whose name was on the letters sent to landowners, said the firm had not received any information or mailing list from any other party.

"As a firm we have identified the properties by undertaking our own analysis of the plans that are publicly available and then reviewing publicly available planning maps to match affected land to particular titles," she said.

"We also conducted title searches for the lots we identified as affected so that we could identify the owners of the affected properties."

The Slater and Gordon advice is for landowners to seek independent advice on any compensation offers "to understand their full compensation entitlements" should acquisitions proceed.

Ms Blencowe recommended they investigate their legal rights and ensure they had an independent valuation and loss assessment completed before accepting any offers.

Although the letter sent to landowners is headed - "Anticipated compulsory acquisition", Ms Blencowe said at this stage the compensations were voluntary.

"... but they need to be measured against the entitlements that would exist if the land were being compulsorily acquired," she said.

AusNet has told landowners: "The compensation evaluations are an important step in working towards a commercial arrangement with landholders and to provide them with certainty about the payments and compensation they will receive.

"They are being provided to allow landholders sufficient time to consider the compensation offers, seek their own independent advice, and have input into property access arrangements to be used during construction if the project is approved."

AusNet expects the compensation negotiation will take about a year "before project approvals are expected to be complete".

In its advice to landholders, AusNet says when a negotiated option for easement is not reached, electricity corporations, such as AusNet, may seek approval from the Governor in Council to compulsorily acquire an easement over private land to erect, lay and maintain powerlines, in accordance with the Electricity Industry Act 2000 (Vic).

TCV does not currently have the same authority as AusNet, and cannot compulsorily acquire private land for easements.

Ms Blencowe said the compensation offers would not include "the kind of detailed individualised assessments of impact and loss that a landholder's lawyer - together with appropriate experts - will undertake."

Ms Blencowe said the proposed power lines would present different problems to different landholders depending on a range of factors including land use and farming practices.

"We have recently started contacting owners who are in the path of the Western Renewables Link and Victoria to New South Wales Interconnector (VNI) West," she said.

"We are keen to help landholders understand their legal position and ensure they are compensated properly for any impacts and land taken."