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Soil and rock samples will be collected off fff the Gippsland coast to help design the proposed Star of the South off ffshore f wind project. Star of the South chief executive Charles Ratt ttray, t and Minister for Energ rgy gy and Resources, Lily D’Ambrosio, were in the region on Friday to off fficially f announce the start rtt of works.
ACADEMY OPEN PAGE 8
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and significant focus for us, when we understand and acknowledge the role that the Gippsland region has played for many decades in delivering energy." Investigations are being funded in part by the state government's Energy Innovation Fund. "From our $108 million Energy Innovation Fund, we've carved off about $19.5 million for the Star of the South to do works such as pre-construction surveys," Ms D'Ambrosio said. "These things do not happen by accident, they happen with having clear, ambitious targets." Those ambitious targets include having 95 per cent of the state's electricity coming from renewable sources by 2035. However, with the imminent closure of coal-fire powered stations at Yallourn in 2028 and Loy Yang A in 2035, questions surrounding the likely void between 2028 and 2035 continued to linger. With the state government announcing the return of the SEC at last year's election, Ms D'Ambrosio said the returning
workforce was set to play a key role. "Certainly the SEC is an agency that will help to accelerate our drive toward creating 95 per cent renewable energy by 2035. I was very pleased to launch the Pioneer Investment Mandate for the SEC, and we're wanting to get off and running as quickly as we can to get the first project, or projects backed by the SEC, built by the SEC, and we're not wasting a day," she said. "Right now, we are wanting to find projects that are ready to be built, we're looking to have the first projects selected by the end of this year. Following formalities, attendees took the opportunity to tour the Fugro vessel. Interestingly, patrons were required to wear masks on board, and were shown around the control room, getting a feel for life at sea. Spotting a table tennis table folded up, a crew member quipped how it can be quite challenging playing ping pong on board a boat tackling rough seas. Continued on page 8
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THE best ships are red and white after all. A 50-strong crew will spend five weeks at sea, collecting soil and rock samples from beneath the seafloor off the Wellington coast to help design the proposed Star of the South offshore wind energy project. Samples will be taken from up to 70 metres beneath the seabed, in a project led by international geo-data specialists Fugro. Dignitaries gathered at QUBE's Barry Beach Terminal (near Welshpool) on Friday to formally announce the works, and tour the Fugro vessel. Among them was the Minister for Energy and Resources, Lily D'Ambrosio, along with the Star of the South chief executive Charles Rattray, Fugro regional director Shalu Shajahan, South Gippsland Shire Mayor Nathan Hersey, and Latrobe Valley Authority chief executive Chris Buckingham. The Barry Beach Terminal is the
main supply depot for Esso Australia's Bass Strait oil and gas operations, and facilitates the transport of equipment and supplies to more than 20 offshore platforms. Ms D'Ambrosio welcomed the works, saying they would continue a strong legacy of energy in Gippsland. "This will be the first marine geotechnical campaign in Australia for offshore wind energy - which is a huge achievement for Victoria as it makes the transition from coal to renewables," she said. "This event is such an important next step in the creation of Australia's first offshore wind energy industry, and Victoria will deliver that. "This geotechnical survey that we are marking is the first of its kind in Australia for the offshore wind energy industry. It is a major milestone for the development of the country's first offshore wind energy industry, here, hosted by the Gippsland region. "That is really such a fundamentally
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By LIAM DURKIN
ANZAC DAY COVERAGE