Port of Hastings Corporation
About
The Port of Hastings is located on the shores of Western Port, approximately 70 kilometres south-east of Melbourne, and provides a major gateway and supporting role for Victoria, Melbourne and southeast Australia.
It is one of four major working commercial trading ports operating in Victoria and has been operating for close to 60 years.
The Port of Hastings Corporation (PoHC) is a public entity established in January 2012 under the Transport Integration Act (2010).
PoHC, as Port Operator is responsible for managing the operations at the Port of Hastings, including maintaining the associated port infrastructure.
The Port of Hastings Corporation's vision is to be a safe, environmentally responsible and competitive deep-water operator of bulk and non-containerised trades.
The offshore wind industry presents an opportunity to open a new chapter in the history of the Port, one that will see the Port of Hastings at the heart of Victoria's drive to reach net zero emissions while providing the State's transport network with enduring benefits beyond offshore wind projects.
Victorian Renewable Energy Terminal:
The Port of Hastings has been selected by the Victorian Government as the preferred location for the establishment of the Victorian Renewable Energy Terminal – a dedicated assembly port to support the construction of Victoria’s first offshore wind farms.
The Terminal is proposed to be developed at the Old Tyabb Reclamation Area (OTRA) and the adjacent marine waters within the port precinct, between Esso’s Long Island Point liquid berth and BlueScope Steel wharves.
Offshore wind turbines are significantly larger than onshore turbines and the components are extremely heavy. Components like blades and towers cannot be transported by road or rail due to their size. A dedicated port is required to receive them before they are prepared for transportation to the offshore windfarms. There is currently no port in Victoria suitable to support offshore wind.
The development of suitable port facilities is therefore critical to achieving the Victorian Government's ambitious offshore wind general targets and achieving net zero emissions by 2045.
The Victorian Government selected the Port of Hastings as the preferred site the Terminal due to many characteristics that make it an ideal location for developing an offshore wind assembly port, including the large areas of appropriately zoned land close to deep water channels and its proximity to proposed offshore wind projects off the Gippsland coast.
Locating offshore wind assembly at the Port of Hastings will also allow for easy access to expertise and workforces in the surrounding regions.
The Port of Hastings Corporation will develop the project in consultation with Traditional Owners, communities and industry and through comprehensive assessments that recognise the important environmental, community and heritage values of Western Port.
More information about the proposed VRET can be found at renewableenergyterminal.com.au
