Latrobe Valley energy worker sees job potential everywhere as the region shifts to wind and solar

David Burt is excited for the future. He’s worked in the energy industry in the Latrobe Valley since 1982 and he can see how the landscape is evolving.

“There's a really good opportunity for young people to forge out a career in the energy sector, particularly in the valley,” Burt told the Monitor.

“We're moving away from having large coal power stations to a whole range of different bits of power generation.”

What happened: Latrobe City councillors voted unanimously last week to push the federal government to put safeguards in place for the more than 450 employees at Energy Australia’s coal-fired power plant at Yallourn, which will close in 2028.

• The mine also hires hundreds of contractors.

🗣️ Councillor Dale Harriman told the meeting: "We learnt the lessons of the unplanned closure of Hazelwood power station [in 2017] and the devastating effect that had, and is still having, on this community." 

What happened at Hazelwood? In November 2016, Engie announced the imminent closure of the 50-year-old Hazelwood power plant. By March 2017, it was done, resulting in the loss of about 750 direct and 300 indirect jobs.

• Engie said the plant was no longer commercially viable, and required more than $400 million in investment.

Why is Yallourn closing? Coal-fired power stations can’t last forever. The current Yallourn power station (known as Yallourn W) is 52 years old.

• The average lifespan of a coal-fired plant in Australia is 29 years.

The CSIRO and AEMO have found that solar and wind power are the cheapest forms of energy generation, and as Australia shifts away from fossil fuels, companies including Energy Australia are enabling workers to find employment on renewable projects.

Securing work

David Burt has worked in the energy industry in the Latrobe Valley since starting at the State Electricity Commission (SEC) in 1982, where he held various roles in finance and community engagement.

🗣️ “I've been accused over the years of being a rusted on coal-person,” Burt said. “But I certainly understand the renewable space and why we need to get there.”

Burt now works as a Project Engagement Lead for two of Energy Australia’s large battery projects - Wooreen Battery Energy Storage System in Latrobe Valley and another in Hallett, South Australia. 

Burt said he didn’t need to do much career planning when he started out in the energy sector, as he was confident jobs would always be there.

Today, he advises younger energy workers to think about what skills they need to shift into emerging industries.

• 🗣️ “It's more important than ever for participants in the power industry to map out their career plans,” he said.

• 🗣️ “There's so much opportunity with the land that these current [coal-fired plants] take up. At Yallourn, there's an abundance of land to do a whole range of different things.”

According to a statement from Energy Australia, Yallourn’s workforce will be supported by a multimillion-dollar package to help them plan, reskill and retrain.

Job ready

Latrobe City’s submission to the federal government calls for an Energy Industry Jobs Plan to give workers in coal and gas industries access to career advice, training, paid time off and redeployment assistance before closures take effect.

Councillor Harriman said workers were already being let go and retraining was under way. 

• 🗣️ "We come across people that have worked in the industry, that are getting training, that are redeploying, that are taking up the opportunities presented."