AGL holds first Latrobe Valley Energy Hub Day at Loy Yang
AGL has held its first Latrobe Valley Energy Hub Day at Loy Yang Power Station in Gippsland Victoria to share future plans for the site.
The event was attended by the Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources, Lily D’Ambrosio, and local community and business groups.
AGL Chief Operating Officer, Markus Brokhof, said AGL was pleased to discuss how the company is planning for the targeted 2035 closure of the Loy Yang Power Station and its vision for repurposing the Loy Yang site into the Latrobe Valley Energy Hub.
“We are delighted to welcome Minister D’Ambrosio and community and business groups to Loy Yang to discuss how we can work together to plan for the repurposing of the site into a low carbon integrated industrial energy hub over the next 12 years,” Mr Brokhof said.
“Loy Yang is a fantastic site with a skilled local workforce, established infrastructure, and great transport options. Over the coming decade we will work together with partners to explore a range of options including solar and wind power, grid-scale batteries, hydrogen production, and co-location with advanced manufacturing industries.
“We recently signed an MOU with the Solar Recovery Corporation to explore establishing a solar panel materials recovery facility at the site that would enable remanufacture of solar panel materials at the end of their life. These are the kinds of innovative partnerships we plan to progress as we repurpose the Loy Yang site into the Latrobe Valley Energy Hub.”
“This forms part of AGL’s broader transition strategy as we also transform Liddell and Bayswater sites into the Hunter Energy Hub and our Torrens site into the Torrens Energy Hub. At the Torrens hub a 250 MW battery will soon be operational and at the Hunter hub planning permission has been granted for the 500 MW Liddell battery.”
Loy Yang General Manager, Christo van Niekerk, said the company will engage with the community through this period of transition.
“We will engage with the community regularly to seek feedback as we develop and progress our plans in the years ahead. Loy Yang will be at the centre of the energy transition in the Latrobe Valley and the Energy Hub will create new job opportunities across a range of new industries.”