Enviro SAC 2

Give an overview of the Star of the South Project

Location: 10km of the coast of Gippsland - receiving strong, consistent offshore winds with easy access to the existing transmission infrastructure in Latrobe Valley.

Aims: To develop a major offshore wind farm capable of generating significant renewable energy, contributing to reducing carbon emissions and supporting Australia's transition to clean energy.

Time frame: Overall project will take 6-10 years, started in 2012, have just finished environmental assessment stage.

What are stakeholders? Give examples of stakeholders involved in this project.

• A stakeholder is any individual or group with an interest in the outcomes of a project and involvement in the decision making related to the project.

• These involve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, local/regional commuinities, media, environmental interest groups.

• Specifically for this project stakeholders include the Australian Fisheries Management Authority, Gippsland Port Authority, South Gippsland Water, Latrobe City Council, AusNet Services, tourism agencies and operators, Energy Safe Victoria, Gippsland TAFE, and local primary and secondary schools.

What are the types of consultation processes can occur with the stakeholders?

They can be formal or informal, with all feedback recorded in the Consultation Manager data base to ensure priority issues and concerns are addressed. The methods include

• Public information sessions

• Community Advisory groups

• Stakeholder meetings, briefings and workshops

• Local office and community hubs

• Community presentations

• Local events and information displays

What is the EIS and EES, and what do they assess?

The Environmental Impact Statement is an assessment that all project under the Commonwealth must complete. Then the Environmental Effects Statement is similar, but applies to all projects in the state of Victoria. Because the Star of the South project falls under both, they can be completed alongside eachother due to them assessing many overlapping factors, these include:

• Aboriginal and cultural heritage

• Air quality

• Birds, fish and other marine mammals

• Noise, waste, traffic and transport

• Business, tourism, land use planning, shipping and navigation

• Ground + surface water, soil, ecology, coastal processes and sediment transport.

Explain the steps of an EES

1. The project is referred to the Minister of Planning, by the company themselves or the public, who then decides if an EES is needed.

2. Then the Minister scopes out what aspects are needed in the statement for the company to complete

3. The company will then discuss with their stakeholders, and gain public feedback, to prepare their EES.

4. Then it will be returned back to the Minister of Planning who will make the final decision.

Explain the difference between a hazard and a risk, with an example for the Star of the South Project

A hazard that exists within this project is a chemical leak from the turbines into the surrounding oceans, this is a hazard because a leak has the potential to cause harm to the environment and pollute it. Whereas a risk is the probability of something causing harm.

Define Earth Systems thinking

Considerations of the connections and interactions between the Earth’s four systems, that support and sustain ecological integrity.

Provide examples on how the Star of the South project could impact all four Earth systems.

Hydrosphere - increased activity leads to turbidity and sediment disturbance, affecting water quality and marine life.

Biosphere - marine life may be disturbed, with noise and presence of turbines detering animals

Atmosphere - decrease in fossil fuel emissions (positive impact), but materials needed to construct turbines such as steel do burn fossil fuels

Lithosphere - seabed and sediment dynamics may be disturbed.

Define circular economy thinking

Based on the principles of keeping products and materials in sue, designing our waste and pollution to be easily repurposed, creating a closed-loop system.

What regulatory requirements (Acts) can be applied to this project

• Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC) - protects matters of national environmental significance, which includes any migratory birds, or marine species/areas in the port that may be affected by the turbines.

• Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act - protects threatened species, commuinities and this project may affect coastal and terrestrial conditions and environments.

What is ISO 14001?

This is an internationally agreed upon standard that sets out requirements for an environmental management system. Organisations can implement and apply it to help improve their environmental performance and mitigate their impacts.

What are Environmental Management Systems?

A structured approach that helps organizations manage their environmental impacts and improve their performance. They are apart of the overall management system.

Advantages of EMS and stages of it

• Industrial Efficiency - reduces raw material input, energy usage and waste which cuts company costs. Employees are more productive, less incidents.

• Stakeholder engagement

• Community confidence

• Advantages of regulators - ensure that companies have done this correctly.

Stages:

• Environment audit

• Environment policy

• Implementation

• Review and improvement (continuing cycle)

What is Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD)

Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs - conserving and enhancing the community’s resources so that ecological processes on which life depends on are maintained.

How can the precautionary principle be applied to or relate to this project?

This is a guideline that is triggered when the risk of environmental harm of a proposed development is high, but the scientific evidence is uncertain requiring measures to be taken. This is essentially applied through completing an EES which involves assessing possible environmental impacts and mitigating them.

How does this project ensure intergenerational and intragenerational equity?

• Intergenerational equity is supported through the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and long-term energy security provided by these wind farms that have a long lifespan.

• Intragenerational equity is provided through this project currently providing a range of jobs and job opportunities for the local Gippsland community. Though the strong discussion with local businesses and stakeholders the commuinities current jobs are protected and prioritised.

Define the ‘Conservation of Biodiversity and Ecological Integrity’ sustainability principle

Maintenance of the abundance of different species living within a particular region, the genetic diversity in a population and the ability of an ecosystem to maintain its biotic and abiotic organisation and function within changing environmental conditions, including its capacity for environmental impact.

Define ‘sustainability’

The ability for a system to meet the needs of a population without compromising the ability to meet the needs of future generations - including social, economic and environmental aspects.

What is ecological integrity? How can it be assessed and used to determine the health of an ecosystem?

Ecological Integrity measures an ecosystem’s ability to support and maintain a functional and diverse community of organisms.

Assessments of this involve assessing the ecosystem in terms of size, component vegetation, soil and hydrology and interactions with surrounding vegetation. This assessment comprises of a three level approach, that can include remote sensing, rapid field assessment, detailed quantitative assessment (water testing, quadrats)

How can ‘Efficient Resource Use’ principle be applied in reference to this project, are they applying it?

Applying this principle involves reducing energy and fuel consumption to reduce the cost of the project, with cleaner production and waste minimisation achieved, this principle will be present.

How does this project not reflect the ‘user pays principle’?

This principle calls for all users of a product/resource to pay for what they use, rather than the total cost being distributed across the entire commuinity. This means users need to be held accountable and for there to be an efficient allocation of resources and their costs. This project is currently being payed for through taxes, which is not an efficient distribution of the cost.

What challenges may this project face in upholding the sustainability principles?

Population:

• Fair distribution of resources/costs

• Disturbance on surrounding community/local coastal towns

Food:

• Potential impact on fishing industry, and rising local population may cause issues/pressures

Water

• Potential water pollution, changes in port use harming marine life

Energy

• The transition over to this type of energy may be difficult, with differing views on using it

• This change may lead to other, major, expensive changes in Australia’s energy grid, causing issues that could harm a wider population of people