On 14 May 2003, the ACCC released its Preliminary View in relation to its assessment of MTC's application.

The ACCC's Preliminary View draws on MTC's application, consultancy reports on the application of the regulatory test, Murraylink's power transfer capability, and operations and maintenance expenditure, submissions from interested parties, information presented to the ACCC during the course of its deliberations, and the ACCC's's own analysis.

As part of Murraylink Transmission Company’s (MTC) regulatory test assessment, it selected and assessed six alternative projects, four of which were network options. As part of its assessment of the cost of the alternative projects it identified varying needs for undergrounding the transmission lines.

As a result, the ACCC sought the views of the Department of Sustainability and Environment with regard to the extent, if any, to which undergrounding of transmission lines is necessary in the areas for which the proposed alternatives traverse, and the assessment process that the Department of Sustainability and Environment would undertake with regard to the location of electricity transmission lines.

In response the ACCC received a letter from the Department of Sustainability and Environment outlining their view.  A number of responses were also received in response to the Department of Sustainability and Environment letter.

The ACCC received various correspondence and submissions from interested parties on spares and other issues.