Positive result for battery plan
‘One-way’ to free kangaroos THE installation of one-way gates is part of the release plan drawn up for the hundreds of kangaroos trapped on a private Cape Schanck property. The kangaroos have been on the property since late September 2021 and appear to have literally dodged a bullet following the voluntary surrender of a licence to shoot by the property’s manager. The plan to return the kangaroos to the neighbouring Greens Bush section of Mornington Peninsula National Park has been drawn up by community groups, animal welfare groups and concerned neighbours (“Volunteers called to ‘save’ cape kangaroos” The News 25/1/22). The one-way gate is described by group spokesperson Mary Waterman as providing “a safe and non-intrusive way of releasing the kangaroos, unlike the suggestions of herding them with quad bikes”. She said talks about releasing the kangaroos were continuing with the Mornington Peninsula
Shire, the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) and the land manager “but no action”. “Save the Mornington Peninsula Kangaroos group has been told that approval to release the kangaroos back into Greens Bush, their natural habitat, must be sought from DELWP before this can happen,” Ms Waterman said. “We do not understand why this is so difficult. We have offered to assist with their release, provide one-way gates, whatever is required for them to go back to where they live. “Is this just DELWP bureaucracy or stalling tactics? “As time goes by the kangaroos are becoming increasingly distressed and their health compromised. The grasses on the property are not their natural feed and there is minimal shelter from extreme weather.” Details: email Peninsula.Kangaroos@gmail. com, facebook.com/groups/477784167297525 or penkan.elloria.dev/ Keith Platt
THE developer of a $190 million battery storage system at Tyabb expects it to be completed by mid-2023. Renewables company Maoneng has been given development approval to build its proposed battery energy storage system (BESS) adjacent to AusNet’s substation in Thornells Road. The BESS is designed to draw and store energy from the grid during off-peak periods and release enough back to the grid during peak periods to power the equivalent of 40,000 average homes. Maoneng says its BESS will improve the reliability of electricity “in an area that is particularly exposed to fluctuations in demand, primarily as a result of seasonal tourism” (“Safety ‘top priority’ for power back-up system” The News 5/10/21). The project is expected to generate up to 160 full time equivalent jobs during its 12-month construction phase. Maoneng co-founder and CEO Morris Zhou said the building approval demonstrated the project’s value in supporting the network, the surrounding neighbours and the environment. “The Mornington BESS will be a vital piece of local infrastructure that will benefit the local economy in several ways,” he said. “It will help stabilise the network and manage periods of peak demand when local companies and households really need reliable electricity. “There are also commercial opportunities during construction, and more work on the supply chain will begin soon as our contractor comes on board and begins the process of hiring individuals, companies and equipment suppliers as the project gets up to speed.”
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2 February 2022
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