Victorian Electrolysis Committee

Full description

The Victorian Electrolysis Committee (VEC) was established on 30 August 1927 (originally as the Melbourne Electrolysis Committee) to manage and mitigate the effects of electrolysis corrosion on buried post and telegraph lines and other infrastructure. The Postmaster-General owned this infrastructure and argued that the electrified railways and tramways was causing damage to their assets by electrolysis. Electrolysis is the effect of stray electrical currents that cause corrosion to buried metal structures.

The creation of the VEC was a recommendation of the Electrolysis Investigation Board, which had been established temporarily by the State Electricity Commission Victoria (VA 1002), with representatives from the Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board (VA 2694) and Victorian Railways (VA 3121), to examine international methods of electrolysis mitigation and come up with an approach to the problem for Victoria. The VEC was founded to operate as an advisory committee on electrolysis matters to the Government.  

The VEC Main Committee met four times per year to review of all the electrolysis issues within the state. Its initial membership comprised one representative per related industry:

• State Electricity Commission of Victoria
• Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board
• Victorian Railways Department
• Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works
• Metropolitan Gas Company
• Postmaster-General’s Department
• Melbourne City Council Electricity Department (from October 1929).

The original constitution of the VEC provided for a Main Committee, consisting of senior members of the authorities represented, and a Technical Sub-Committee, comprising technical representatives to direct the field investigations. The Technical Sub-Committee was created on 11 October 1927.

Although the VEC initially had no direct legislative powers, it obtained a degree of indirect power under the State Electricity Commission Cathodic Protection Regulations 1970. The current Regulations, updated in 2009, provide powers through the Electricity Safety Act 1998 relating to the operation of cathodic protection systems. The Regulations were later amended to also include traction drainage bonds. 

The VEC is now formally constituted under part 9 of the Electricity Safety Act 1998, and has eight ministerially-appointed members representing relevant public offices and industry groups as outlined in the Act. Its functions under the Act are:

• Establish and maintain standards for systems for cathodic protection and for the mitigation of stray current corrosion
• Provide advice to Energy Safe Victoria, on any matter related to electrolysis and the regulations relating to cathodic protection and to the mitigation of stray current corrosion, when requested to do so by Energy Safe Victoria
• Encourage the development of new methods and technology to increase the efficiency of systems for the mitigation of stray current corrosion.

The SECV was the VEC’s superior agency at the time of its formation until the SECV was abolished in 1994. From 1994 – 2005 the VEC was administered by the Office of the Chief Electrical Inspector (VA 4207). In 2005 that office was combined with the Office of Gas Safety (VA 4209) to form Energy Safe Victoria (VA 4827), which is the current superior agency to the VEC as at 2025.