Vol. No. Vol. 2118No. 4 27
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Breeding champions St Helen’s Plains Hampshire Down sheep breeder Matt Hill has come away from the Australian Sheep and Wool Show with three national titles. The founder and owner of Aurora Park Hampshires won grand champion ram, reserve champion ewe and best exhibitor titles at Bendigo at the weekend. Mr Hill, 25, said his grand champion ram was still a lamb. “He’s one year old, so he’s got a big future in front of him,” he said. Mr Hill’s interest in Hampshire Down sheep started while studying at Horsham College 10 years ago. “The school had sheep as part of the curriculum and when they disbanded the program I bought one ram and three ewes. I now have 250 sheep,” he said. “If the school ever wanted to get back into sheep I would donate stock.” Mr Hill, pictured, said he had recently broken into the North American market, sending semen to Canada. “The breed is a high-end producer of meat and is on a similar level to wagyu beef,” he said. Glenpaen Stud at Brimpaen also performed well at the national show. Mr Hill will send his sheep to the Ballarat Show on Sunday and to Sheepvention at Hamilton in August.
Picture: PAUL CARRACHER
Energy breakthrough D
BY DEAN LAWSON
evelopment leaders believe the door has swung open for the Wimmera and southern Mallee to become a pivotal region for Victorian renewable-energy production.
They are confident state and federal governments will have little option but to respond to industry recommendations that back calls for a major upgrade of electrical infrastructure in the region. The Australian Energy Market Operator, in its 2018 Integrated Systems
Plan for the National Electricity Market, has identified a need for ‘immediate’ transmission investment to improve access to renewable-energy generators in western and north-western Victoria. It outlined in its report that ‘the generator connection interest in the west and north-west of Victoria already far exceeds the local network capacity’. It went on, ‘augmentation in this area would help alleviate project network congestion driven by existing and committed generation and could facilitate the efficient development
of renewable energy over the next 20 years’. Wimmera Development Association executive director Ralph Kenyon said the report represented a critical first step in securing a renewable-energy future for the region. “This is a breakthrough. This is coming from the AEMO, which provides guidance to both government, developers and owners of infrastructure,” he said. “It is saying these upgrades are required to ensure the long-term viability of the network. It’s significant.”
The association, based on its dealings with major renewable-energy companies, has lobbied strongly for a major upgrade of power-line capacity and infrastructure to meet developing transmission needs. It has repeatedly warned that the ability of power lines in the region to carry electricity generated in the region was limited and had the potential to significantly stifle growth. “We don’t know how the funding will work or where it will come from yet to meet this need, but what we do know is that market planning has
identified western Victoria as a primary site for the development of alternative energy,” Mr Kenyon said. “We’ve been talking about upgrading power-line infrastructure for some time and this is evidence that our voice has been heard and our arguments have stacked up. “We see this as an important step in securing a renewable energy future for the region. It represents the opening of a door for us to offer further investment opportunities to provide renewable energy for Victoria and beyond.” Continued page 3
IN THIS ISSUE • Dry outlook • AgLife and Mallee Machinery Field Days • Football-netball coverage Phone: 03 5382 1351 Read it online: www.theweeklyadvertiser.com.au
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