Money flows into communities during construction of multi-million-dollar energy farms and a trickle often continues through community funding arrangements after construction.
But it is what can happen years beyond construction and industrial value-adding planning that has Dr Harrison more than a little interested.
He’s far from alone. Regional community leaders across the country are following with interest the progress of Bulgana Green Power Hub near Great Western.
If successful, the partnership between renewable-energy developer Neoen and horticulture producer Nectar Farms will break new international ground.
One of the primary constants in the market is the desire for cheap, efficient and readily available energy.
Big energy users are often big employers. This equates to a workforce and people – and people represent what much of western Victoria desperately needs.
The challenge for regional development leaders exploring this potential will be coming up with attractive business-case formulas and plans.
Plans must directly target the hip-pocket of stakeholders and represent opportunities too hard for well-established as well as emerging industrial businesses to ignore.
Securing a large industrial project, complete with workforce, would represent a massive win for any of our regional or rural communities – just one project could change a town’s fortunes.
This all makes sense in our wide-open landscape while the wind blows and the sun shines and energy-storage technology continues to rapidly advance.
The entire July 17, 2019 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!
