Governments endorse ‘rapid’ rollout of Gippsland turbines

IT’S unequivocal. The Gippsland coast, from Phillip Island in the west to the 90 Mile Beach in the east will host hundreds, if not thousands of massive wind turbines in a “rapid” rollout over the next decade.

Unless there is an announcement to the contrary, many of the 350-metre-high turbines will be clearly visible from beach level at iconic locations including the world-famous Woolamai Surf Beach and Wilsons Promontory National Park.

The announcement by AGL late last month that it will close its Loy Yang A power station at Traralgon by 2035, cutting off a third of the state’s power, has supercharged the initiative.

In a statement this week, the Albanese Government said it had already signed agreements with the NSW, Victorian and Tasmanian governments to “rewire” the nation specifically to connect to Gippsland’s offshore ‘Renewable Energy Zone’.

They can’t have had time to read many (any) of the hundreds of public submissions called for by Federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, closing on October 7.

Maybe one of those submissions proved that the Gippsland coast was unsuitable for massive infrastructure development, that the environment was too sensitive, too valuable, that calls for assurances about the dismantling of these huge ocean structures, at the end of their 25-year life, was a fatal flaw.

Maybe one of the submissions proved the local tourism industry was too valuable, that the area didn’t need the new jobs… we’ll never know. Our fate, it seems, is signed and sealed.

Here’s what the Federal Government had to say this week:

“The Albanese Government’s Rewiring the Nation plan will fast-track Victorian Renewable Energy Zones (REZ) and offshore wind development to create new energy jobs across Victoria, unlock cleaner, cheaper and more secure energy and put downward pressure on prices.

“The Commonwealth and Victoria have today (October 19) signed an agreement to jointly fund Victorian offshore wind projects, REZs, and the Victoria-New South Wales Interconnector (VNI West) KerangLink. The Commonwealth, Victoria and Tasmania have also signed agreements on the Marinus Link interconnector.

The agreement between Victoria and the Commonwealth sets out:

* $1.5 billion of concessional financing from Rewiring the Nation available for REZ projects in Victoria, including offshore wind projects;

* A commitment to coordinate Victorian and Commonwealth regulatory processes to support the rapid development of the Victorian offshore wind industry;

* Rewiring the Nation, through the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, will provide a concessional loan of $750 million for VNI West to ensure it is completed by 2028;

* Victoria will contribute equally with the Tasmanian and Commonwealth Governments to a total 20 per cent of project equity to deliver Marinus Link.

“Together, the Victorian REZ and offshore wind development will deliver new renewable power, driving down power prices, creating jobs and supporting reliability of electricity supply.

“This follows the Commonwealth’s recent consultation on an offshore wind development zone off Gippsland – the first in the nation.

“This announcement will supercharge regional jobs, with VNI-West KerangLink to unlock 4,000 MW of new power generation, supporting more than 2,000 direct jobs during construction and generating $1.8 billion in net market benefits - including for electricity users.

“Marinus Link is also set to create 1,400 jobs in Victoria, and attract $1.5 billion in investment to the Gippsland region.

“Australia’s electricity system is changing rapidly, but progress on critical transmission projects stalled under the former federal Government. The Albanese Labor Government is getting on with the job and working closely with states to deliver these vital projects on time and at lowest cost.

“The Australian Energy Market Operator’s (AEMO) Integrated System Plan is the roadmap for Australia’s future grid – and Rewiring the Nation investments are guided by this blueprint to ensure the right projects are built at the right time.”

Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, called the announcement “historic”.

“Rewiring the Nation has always been about jobs in new energy industries, delivering cleaner, cheaper and more secure energy, and bringing down emissions – today it begins doing just that.”

“This is an historic day for Victoria and for Australia with the rollout of these key projects putting us on track to be a renewable energy superpower.”

Premier Daniel Andrews welcomed the news before upping the ante by announcing the reformation of the State Electricity Commission with plans to inject funding into the manufacture of offshore wind infrastructure.

“Victoria has cut emissions by more than any other state, tripled the amount of renewable energy and created thousands of jobs. We’re not just talking about climate action – we’re getting on with it,” Mr Andrews said.

“All of this means more jobs, cleaner energy and cheaper power bills for Victorians.”

Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen was enthusiastic.

“This announcement today demonstrates the Albanese Government’s commitment to progressing the renewable transformation with the states and territories.”

“For too long, national energy policy has been ad hoc and hollow – today is another step in turning this around and putting reliable, affordable power and new energy jobs first.”

Victorian Minister for Energy, the Environment, and Climate Action, Lily D’Ambrosio, a recent visitor to Bass Coast to discuss the offshore wind plan said the Albanese Government’s commitment to the development was crucial.

“Victoria is leading the nation in the energy revolution, taking strong climate action and cementing our future as a renewable energy powerhouse.”

“Rewiring the Nation will help our ambitious offshore wind strategy and Renewable Energy Zones Development Plan, while giving more flexibility to our grid.”

Following hotly after the Commonwealth Government’s announcement was a stunning announcement by Premier Andrews, escalating the rollout of renewable energy, with Gippsland’s offshore wind farms the star performer.

Then came the announcement that Singapore-based Vena Energy would be developing a 2000MW offshore wind farm off Gippsland, on the same day that the State Government set a new ambitious target of 95 per cent renewables by 2035.

Last Thursday, the company confirmed the first stage will be sized up to 500MW, but the overall project could reach 2GW, potentially accounting for up to 20 per cent of the state’s electricity needs.

It’s a similar size project to the Star of the South, but unlike the ‘Star’ project which has identified a site off Woodside Beach (near Yarram), Vena Energy’s ‘Blue Marlin’ has not been allocated a site offshore, only that it will be located “in the Gippsland Basin off the south-east cost of Victoria”.

It’s been a heady couple of days for the state’s power prospects and it’s ‘skates on’ time with the clock ticking at Victoria’s traditional power plants.

Here’s what the State Government had to say:

“A re-elected Andrews Labor Government will bring back government ownership of energy – delivering cheaper power bills and lower emissions while putting power back in the hands of Victorians.

“AGL have announced they are closing Victoria’s biggest power station, Loy Yang A, a decade early – having reaped billions in profits from Victorians. We’re at a critical point. Only Labor has a plan to keep the lights on, bring bills down and create thousands of jobs in renewable energy.

“Labor will bring back public ownership of energy resources by reviving the State Electricity Commission (SEC) as an active energy market participant to build new renewable energy projects.  Under the plan, the government will hold a controlling interest in each of those projects – renewables will replace coal, and these new ‘power stations’ will be owned by every Victorian to benefit every Victorian.

“Labor will make an initial investment of $1 billion towards delivering 4.5 gigawatts of power – the equivalent replacement capacity of Loy Yang A – through renewable energy projects.

“The State will have a controlling interest, with the balance of funding invested from like-minded entities – such as industry super funds – who are focused on a fair deal for Victorians, not just profits.

“Unreliable, privatised coal will be replaced by clean, government-owned, renewable energy.

“The new SEC will become an energy market proponent under a 10-year plan to deliver cleaner, cheaper energy, with all profits invested back into the network – making sure it’s the Victorian public, not offshore coal companies, who enjoy the returns.

“We’ll invest at least $20 million to prepare the SEC for its new role in our energy market, including setting up an office in Morwell. The Latrobe Valley has always been the centre of Victorian energy generation – and we’ll make sure it’s part of our clean energy future. Labor hasn’t just talked about climate action – we’ve gotten on with delivering it.

“We’ve cut emissions by more than any other state, tripled the amount of renewable energy and created thousands of jobs. Now, we’ll keep doing what matters. Labor will deliver new renewable energy targets for Victoria – increasing to 65 per cent by 2030, and 95 per cent by 2035.

“We’ll set an emissions reduction target of 75-80 per cent by 2035, and we’ll bring forward our net zero emissions target by five years to 2045 – the most ambitious from any mainland state. This won’t just deliver more renewable energy, lower power bills and reduced carbon emissions – it’ll also create jobs.

“Together, these initiatives will increase Gross State Product by about $9.5 billion and support 59,000 jobs through to 2035. Jobs in our cities, suburbs and regions – in solar, wind and emerging energy industries.

“Only Labor is doing what matters – replacing unreliable and privately-owned coal power with clean, governmentowned renewable energy.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews wants to see that Victorians get a share of the action from rolling out a new era in power generation.

“Big energy companies want to offshore profits – we want to offshore wind. Renewable energy is the future: it’s good for our climate, good for lower power bills and good for jobs,” he said.

“Labor is doing what matters. We’ll bring power back into the hands of Victorians by creating government-owned energy – keeping bills down and the lights on.”

But Gippsland South MLA, Danny O’Brien, has criticised the proposed reclaiming of the SEC.

“Labor is not proposing to “buy back” the power stations, it’s not planning to take back control of the poles and wires and it’s not going to go back to a single government retailer,” he said.

“It is planning to risk $1 billion of our money investing in renewables that the private sector has demonstrated it is already prepared to build - without taxpayer support.”

He has also raised concerns about the location of offshore wind farms and the risk that electricity transmission towers will be constructed across Gippsland farmland.