THE Committee for Frankston and Mornington Peninsula wants the state and federal governments to “confirm” Hastings as the site for a terminal to assemble offshore wind turbines following the awarding of feasibility licenses to companies involved in the project.
“This development means the future of the Victorian Renewable Energy Terminal (VRET) proposed for the Port of Hastings is now crucial to the advancement of Victoria’s offshore wind industry,” committee CEP Josh Sinclair said.
He said Hastings was “perfectly poised for the terminal and that the community now wants certainty”.
This latest call from the industry lobby group for governments to back Hastings as the terminal site follows federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek saying that Hastings was unsuitable because of threats posed to the sustainability of Western Port’s ecosystem and its international importance as a destination for migratory birds (Federal veto a blow to terminal plans, The News 10/1/24).
The state government allocated $27 million in its 2023/24 budget for the offshore wind turbines to be built on the north side of Bayview Road, Hastings. Although the Premier Jacinta Allan in January said the state government believed the environmental impacts could be overcome, no official announcements have since been made.
Meanwhile, another company wants planning permission for a factory on eight hectares on the south side Bayview Road, Hastings to build towers for wind turbines and blades.
The uncertainty over the wind turbine assembly terminal being built at Hastings saw attention shift to the possible use of either Barry Beach, near Toora in South Gippsland, the Port of Geelong or Bell Bay in Tasmania.
Barry Beach which, like Western Port, is a Ramsar internationally protected area for migratory birds, has long been a construction and maintenance site for Bass Strait oil and gas fields.
Tasmania’s Energy and Renewables Minister, Nick Duigan, said the port of Bell Bay would be ideal to service construction and maintenance of Bass Strait offshore wind farms. “Tasmania is already the nation’s renewable energy leader, and we are forging ahead with our plans to continue to position our state as a clean energy powerhouse,” Duigan said in the wake of Plibersek’s announcement.
However, Sinclair says the Commonwealth Government’s awarding of feasibility licences to companies “will fast-track the development of the offshore wind industry off the Gippsland coast”. “Both levels of governments view offshore wind as crucial to the state and nations’ energy supply, so confirmation around the role of the Port of Hastings is vital to ensure the industry and our local community have clarity over Western Port’s role,” he said. “Hastings is strategically located close to Gippsland and provides access to a qualified and skilled workforce. “The VRET has the capability of reinvigorating Hastings economic potential and help play a key role in Australia’s transition to a clean energy future. “We want to see both levels of government work collaboratively on this project and back Hastings as the site for a ‘green terminal’.
First published in the Mornington News – 14th May 2024
