The State Government has submitted a modified proposal for the Port of Hastings Terminal for Federal approval with reduced reclamation and dredging, and the public has 10 days to provide feedback.
The “significantly” modified proposal, filed on Wednesday 25 June, has resulted in a “significant” reduction in the total size of the Terminal’s reclaimed area by more than 35 per cent, from 29ha to 18ha, when compared to the design in the 2023 referral.
The proposed dredging volume has been reduced by about 70 per cent, compared to the number in the 2023 referral (92ha). Mitigation and contingency measures related to dredging impacts have also been adopted in the new proposal, specifically designed to minimise environmental impacts and address the environmental concerns.
Those two major modifications also echoed the primary environmental concerns raised by the community and stakeholders, which related to dredging and reclamation.
The modified proposal reveals that dredging works would take place 24/7, and the dredged material will be transported to the reclamation area and incorporated into the new landform once the dredge material is treated.
Dredging would be required to develop the berth pocket, approach channel, and swing basin, and would be completed in a single campaign, which would take approximately five months.
But the proposal also suggests that there could be potential additional dredging, as “there is a possibility that the berth pocket and quay well will need to be deepened further to ensure that the seabed is stable enough to support the legs of jack-up vessels, depending on the outcome of further studies and refinement of the project design”.
Regular maintenance dredging is not anticipated to be required as part of Terminal operations.
It is also revealed that the design life of the Terminal is 50 years. The construction is set to begin in 2027, subject to Federal approval. The operation is then expected to begin at the end of this decade.
The modified proposal states that in response to the then-Federal Environment Minister’s veto of the 2023 referral, the project has undergone “extensive” preliminary impact assessment studies, which are evidenced by the submission of almost 40 relevant documents.
“Following the 2023 referral decision, Port of Hastings Corporation (on behalf of the State Government) have developed a modified Terminal Project that is substantially different to the Project that was referred to the Commonwealth Government in 2023,” the proposal states.
“Through extensive technical investigations, preliminary impact assessments and the subsequent refinements to the Terminal Project design and construction methodologies, the 2025 Terminal Project addresses the issues identified in the 2023 ‘Statement of Reasons’.
“Port of Hastings Corporation is confident that the ecological character of the Western Port Ramsar Wetland (WPRW) can be maintained, and the 2025 Terminal Project is consistent with the principle of ‘wise use’.”
The project, known as the Victorian Renewable Energy Terminal, was proposed back in 2023 to “develop and operate a facility to serve as a base for the assembly of offshore wind farms” at the Port of Hastings.
Then-Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek rejected the proposal publicly in January 2024.
In her statement, she said that although detailed project specification and environmental assessment had not been undertaken, she noted and accepted the advice from the department’s Wetland Section Line Area that the information provided was sufficient to conclude that the project was “clearly unacceptable”.
She noted then that a large part of the proposed development was within the internationally protected WPRW.
“Large areas of the WPRW will be destroyed or substantially modified as a result of direct impacts of the proposed action,” she stated.
“The proposed action is likely to cause irreversible damage to the habitat of waterbirds and migratory birds and marine invertebrates, and fish that are critical to the ecological character of the WPRW.
“[It is also likely to cause] adverse impact on the habitat or lifecycle of native species dependent on the wetland, negatively impacting the ecological character of the WPRW, and adverse impact on the ecological character of the WPRW is not only likely but unavoidable.”
The modified proposal addressed her rejection statements.
In terms of the impact on the ecological character, the State Government claims that the modified project significantly reduces reclamation (by 35 per cent) and dredging (by around 70 per cent) compared to 2023.
The affected habitat (about 0.07 per cent of the WPRW) is considered too small to harm critical ecosystem components.
Speaking of the habitat loss, it is argued that the reduced reclamation and dredging footprint means no substantial modification of the WPRW is expected.
For the impact on coastal processes within WPRW, the State Government states that their assessments predict no significant disruption to tidal flows, sedimentation, or coastal processes across the WPRW.
It is noted that the new Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt will decide upon the referral.
The public is invited to submit their feedback on the 2025 referral.
To access all the supporting documents and provide your feedback, visit: epbcpublicportal.environment.gov.au/open-for-comments/project-decision/?id=17e2d268-8951-f011-877a-000d3a6b1fdf&fbclid=IwY2xjawLJbw1leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFqdVMwckdyd0VBZm5MWXNJAR6o4saLHXNmxL4eH8pNK5iDBgdRzP443b1Zou-llRt5mzbMQtTpns9Mv5t7pg_aem_fZjoZlM6lC3SxhFEN7nECg
Submission closes on Wednesday 9 July.
