Solar thermal power push to keep jobs in Port Augusta

THE “dominoes” are lined up for Port Augusta to switch from coal-fired to solar thermal power generation and advocates are urging governments to summon the “political will” to secure the project.

Country Cabinet. The premier and his ministers visits Port Augusta & Leigh Creek over 3 days. Sundrop Farms Associate Engineer Angus Tulloch 25 originally from Belair but now resides Port Pirie and is working for Sundrop Farms. He is pictured at the Sundrop tomato farm, near Pt Augusta. Pic: Tricia Watkinson

THE “dominoes” are lined up for Port Augusta to switch from coal-fired to solar thermal power generation and advocates are urging the state and federal governments to summon the “political will” to secure the project.

Cabinet ministers travelled to Port Augusta for a public forum on Sunday night, as the community grapples with the looming effect of job losses across the region.

Alinta Energy closed its coal mining operations in nearby Leigh Creek in mid-November and two coal-fired power stations in Port Augusta are due to stop operating in early May, costing about 450 jobs.

Renewable energy is being touted as way to keep the region’s economy afloat.

American company SolarReserve this week submitted a bid to the State Government to build a solar thermal power plant to service Port Augusta and surrounding towns.

Spokeswoman for advocacy group Repower Port Augusta, Lisa Lumsden, said contributions from the state and federal governments would be needed to secure the project.

“All the dominoes are lining up,” Ms Lumsden said.

“We’ve got a power station closing. We’ve got a company that wants to build (a solar thermal alternative).

“And (we have) a whole lot of State Government policies in place to move to low-carbon energy.

“Now we need the political will to get this over the line.”

Ms Lumsden said the SolarReserve proposal was “an opportunity for us to continue to be a power generator but to capitalise on our solar resource”.

“We don’t want to be buying power from the other states ... When we can generate it here from the sun and create jobs,” she said.

Ms Lumsden said the project could be in construction by 2019.

Similar projects in the United States have generated 1000 construction jobs, 50 ongoing role, 4000 indirect employment opportunities.

Premier Jay Weatherill said SolarReserve was “not the only large scale solar producer” to bid in response to a call from the Government for renewable energy providers.

“We’ll be looking carefully through all those bids,” he said.

Premier Jay Weatherill meets Port Augusta locals at the community forum at Port Augusta’s central oval, during the Government’s visit and community Cabinet. Pic: Tricia Watkinson

Solar thermal technology is in use at Sundrop Farms’ tomato farm, just outside Port Augusta, not for power generation but to desalinate water and heat greenhouses.

It is powered by 23,500 mirrors focusing the sun’s rays.

The State Government contributed $6 million in funding to the farm, which is expected to be fully operational by July.

It will grow about 880,000 tomato plants across four greenhouses, supplying 10 per cent of the tomatoes eaten nationally, through Coles supermarkets.

Between 175 and 200 workers will be on site by around October.

Sundrop Farms managing director for Australia, John Phinney, said there had been strong interest from local jobseekers, with more applications than positions on offer.

Mr Phinney said the skills of former Alinta Energy workers could be useful on the project.

He also revealed the company was in the “very early stages” of considering expanding in the region.

“This is a fertile area, even though it looks like a desert, for us to do another project,” he said.

“It would probably be another project in fresh produce and another project of this scale.”

Angus Tulloch began work at the site in about April last year.

The 25-year-old, who moved from Adelaide to Port Pirie, said he was keen to work on a project using emerging technologies.

“Lots of the people that I graduated with are looking to move into this space but the challenge is finding (job) opportunities,” he said.