Victorian Consolidated Regulations

ELECTRICITY SAFETY (GENERAL) REGULATIONS 2019 - REG 220

    (1)     A high voltage underground line or any underground line on public land or on private land not owned or leased by the owner of the line set out in column 1 of Table 220 must not be closer to the surface of the ground than the relevant minimum depth specified in column 2, 3, or 4 of that Table.

Note

Section 46 of the Act generally prohibits the construction of electric lines on public land unless an exemption applies.

    (2)     Subregulation (1) does not apply to the transitional portion of an underground line if the transitional portion—

        (a)     is protected by a mechanical cover in accordance with regulation 221; or

        (b)     is enclosed in a compliant heavy duty non‑metallic conduit; or

        (c)     is enclosed in a medium or heavy galvanised steel tube that complies with AS 1074.

    (3)     Subregulation (1) does not apply to—

        (a)     the negative conductors of a railway or tramway supply network; or

        (b)     those portions of underground lines that are above ground.

Table 220—Minimum depths for underground lines from the surface of the ground

Column 1 Type of underground line	Column 2 Directly buried	Column 3 Directly buried and covered with a mechanical cover	Column 4 Buried enclosed in a conduit or pipe
Direct current ≤ 1500V	750 mm	600 mm	500 mm
Alternating current ≤ 1 kV	750 mm	600 mm	500 mm
>1 kV a.c. or 1500V d.c. and ≤ 22 kV	900 mm	750 mm	750 mm
> 22 kV and ≤ 66 kV	1000 mm	750 mm	750 mm
> 66 kV and ≤ 220 kV	1000 mm	1000 mm	1000 mm