Vol. No. Vol. 2418No. 5027
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Wednesday, January 13, 2022 2016 Wednesday, June 29,
Cutting ties after long career END OF AN ERA: Horsham barber Peter Pickering has called time on a long career keeping generations of Wimmera men looking their best. Mr Pickering will close the doors of ‘Peter’s Barber Shop’ for the final time as he begins retirement this week after 62 years in the trade. Full story, page 18. Picture: PAUL CARRACHER
Powering a solution BY MICHAEL SCALZO
A
n energy taskforce leader has earmarked Horsham as the centrepiece of a Wimmera-southern Mallee led Victorian power revolution.
As rising gas prices impact the viability of high-profile manufacturing businesses in the region, Grampians New Energy Taskforce chair Stuart Benjamin has re-emphasised the opportunity for businesses to lead ‘the biggest change in the Victorian economy we have ever seen’. Mr Benjamin highlighted the capac-
ity for hydrogen, potentially sourced from wastewater, in servicing the heating needs of heat-dependant manufacturing; as well as the region’s extremely stable wind conditions. However, he said the ‘key’ for the region rested with transmission line upgrades and a doubling of the proposed 220,000-volt amp capacity. “We can’t pursue any renewablysourced generation unless we have the powerlines,” Mr Benjamin said. “Transmission is the key. It involves essentially turning the Victorian power grid upside down. “Our transmission lines start in La-
trobe Valley as thick as your arm and by the time they get to Horsham, they are like fencing wire. “We need to reverse that. We need the big powerlines in this part of the world because the current proposed line will already be at capacity when it opens. Let’s double it, future proof it, and generate these opportunities.” Mr Benjamin said there was always going to be a lot of pain during the transition from carbon-based to carbon-zero energy sources. “We have known this day has been coming for 20 years, but sadly, successive governments and society have
chosen to either ignore the future or put the decision off to another day,” he said. “The crisis in Ukraine has brought all this to a head sooner than thought, and that has caused terrible pain for large employers who use gas as their peak resource. But, sometimes, when bad things happen, it can focus our attention – and for a lot of people, all of a sudden everyone understands why this transition needs to happen to zero carbon where we can rely on energy sources we can control.” Mr Benjamin said it was important to support businesses and the commu-
nity during the transition in the short term, but it was difficult to blame renewables for the current gas situation. “We are not there yet in this energy transition,” he said. “Potentially there is five to 10 years before we have that reliable gas replacement, so talk is needed about how to manage this contextual price hike within this context. Hopefully everyone can survive this shock and move forward. People haven’t invested in coal in a long time because when renewables are up-and-running, they are cheaper.” Continued page 5
IN accommodation planbudget • Quantong residents stand strong • Football-netballaction action IN THIS THISISSUE ISSUE• Crisis • Horsham council ticks • Workforce headaches • Football-netball Phone: 03 5382 1351 Read it online: www.theweeklyadvertiser.com.au
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