<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/when-can-i-get-a-job-community-leaders-say-coal-country-ready-and-waiting-for-offshore-wind/>
"As the federal opposition and conservative lobby groups continue to push for a
“rethink” of Victoria’s offshore wind plans, arguing they will be a drag on big
business and the economy, the communities in line to be directly affected by
the new industry have rather different concerns.
“The number one question we get through our door is, ‘When are you starting?
When can I get a job? How can I get involved?’,” says Erin Coldham, the chief
development officer at Southerly Ten, the specialist offshore wind developer
that is behind Australia’s most advanced project, the 2.2 gigawatt Star of the
South.
Alongside the Star of the South, a total of nine projects hold feasibility
licences for the Gippsland development zone, backed by some of the world’s
leading developers – as Coldham points out, while offshore wind is a new
industry for Australia, there are about 13,000 turbines in oceans around the
world.
Victoria, with federal support from the Labor Albanese government, is hoping to
meet its legislated targets of 2 gigawatts (GW) on installed offshore wind
generation capacity by 2032, followed by 4 GW by 2035 and 9 GW by 2040. But
it’s a slow process, with many moving parts – policy, infrastructure, project
approvals – that need to line up before projects can be built.
Coldham, who recalled her first visit to the Wellington Shire Council nearly a
decade ago to brief councillors on Star of the South, was back in Sale on
Wednesday to help launch the Gippsland Offshore Wind Sector Plan – a sort of
roadmap to empower the region to play a leading role in the nascent renewables
sector.
The plan was put together by the Gippsland Offshore Wind Alliance – a group
formed by the Committee for Gippsland and the Gippsland Climate Change Network
– whose mission is to secure investment, develop a skilled workforce and build
the necessary infrastructure to support what promises to be a major new
industry.
Gippsland, and particularly the Latrobe Valley, has a history as the coal
centre of Victoria, with mines and power stations built around major brown coal
seams discovered in the late 1800s.
But with the remainder of the region’s ageing coal plants slated to close by
2035, the overriding message from Gippsland community leaders this week is that
they are ready – and waiting – to take the lead on a new energy generation
resource.
“With the launch of this sector plan, we are sending a strong signal that we
want an offshore wind industry in Gippsland,” said Committee for Gippsland CEO
Tony Cantwell.
“As one of the nation’s traditional power generating regions, it’s essential
for our future and now is the time to take the next steps towards delivery.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
