COMMUNITY members chatted to representatives of offshore wind energy proponents and VicGrid in Leongatha on Thursday during a combined consultation drop-in session at the Memorial Hall.
Proponents are at various stages of progress towards their hoped-for projects.
The Sentinel-Times caught up with representatives of the Blue Mackerel project after reporting on a recent visit to the ship Fugro Mariner, the vessel having since undertaken its expedition to drill for core samples.
After analysis at a specialist laboratory in Perth, Western Australia, the results will enable engineers to establish the right type of foundations for offshore wind energy infrastructure.
However, there is still much research to be conducted before it is determined whether the Blue Mackerel project, run by Japanese company JERA Nex through its wholly owned subsidiary Parkwind, is approved for construction.
Community and stakeholder relations manager for the project, Linda French, said all aspects of the environment need to be considered, taking account of waves, currents, wildlife and other factors, with subsequent engineering design needing to mitigate any potential negative impacts.
Communications officer Holly Gillan said early community enquiries at Thursday’s event centred on job opportunities, noting the kinds of questions asked can vary between non-coastal areas such as Leongatha and locations nearer the sea.
Cr Brad Snell was keen to chat to those manning the various stands, learning more about local community benefits and opportunities.
Additionally, as a mechanical fitter, he said he has “an inherent interest in things that move”, clearly intrigued by the workings of offshore wind energy generating equipment.
A contingent of University of Melbourne students, members of the renewable energy club, came to town to hear about future wind energy opportunities to which they can apply the skills they are learning.
Second year electrical engineering student Bianca MacDonald said while she is not yet certain what area of the field to head into, she’s leaning towards transmission.
“We visited a wind farm this morning and it got me more excited learning about renewable energy and offshore projects,” she said.
In Leongatha, she chatted to the VicGrid representative about the type of opportunities an electrical engineer would have with their team, learning that would encompass offsite design work and helping manage the project from behind the scenes.
“So, I think for me, if I end up working for VicGrid, I would be one of the engineers that creates what we’re going to do,” Bianca said, pleased to have a clearer picture of how she might contribute in future.
Masters student in Environmental Engineering, Csiyi He, was excited to learn about projects in planning, noting an information gap exists between the academic setting and the wider world.