Victorian Numbered Regulations

ELECTRICITY SAFETY (INSTALLATIONS) REGULATIONS 2009 (SR NO 164 OF 2009) - REG 217

    (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 must not be closer to the surface of the ground than the relevant minimum depth specified in column 2, 3, or 4 of Table 217.

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 initial portion of an underground line if the initial portion—

        (a)     is protected by a mechanical cover in accordance with regulation 216(1) ; or

        (b)     is enclosed in a heavy duty non-metallic conduit that complies with AS/NZS 2053; 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)     negative conductors; or

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

TABLE 217—Minimum depths for underground lines from
the surface of the ground

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