Ararat Rural City Council welcomed agricultural sector stakeholders from across the region to the Ararat Bioenergy Forum, held last Wednesday at Ararat's Gordon Street Recreation Reserve.
The interactive event brought together community members, local farmers, business owners, industry experts and research partners to explore the future of bioenergy in the region.
Attendees heard from Dr. Scott Grierson, CEO of Valorify, who provided an update on progress and opportunities connected to the local bioenergy project.
The agenda also heard Deakin University's Mr. Matthew Constable and Professor Doug Creighton as well as Greg Turner of Gas Pipelines Victoria and Solstice Energy.
Key items discussed included important changes to State and Federal Government policy that will secure carbon trading opportunities, the need for policy certainty to reduce risk for investors and strengthen the project's business case, and the anticipated project timeline.
Ararat Rural City Council CEO, Dr. Tim Harrison, said strong interest and discussion at the forum reflected the region's keen interest in innovation: "It's clear that there are members of our community who are eager to explore practical solutions and seize new economic opportunities in the renewable energy sector," Dr. Harrison said.
"The forum provided an opportunity for our farmers, families, and local businesses to hear directly from industry leaders and researchers in this space. I'd like to thank everyone who came along, shared their perspectives, which really helped make this event such a success."
Valorify's Dr. Scott Grierson said, "We are grateful for the continuing interest and commitment demonstrated by both community and Council to the Ararat Bioenergy initiative. There is general awareness growing around how solutions like biogas can make use of existing infrastructure, delivering new jobs and investment to the regions, while delivering the decarbonisation of the economy that we need - we need all the tools in the shed, and this is one particularly well suited to the cropping sector and agricultural landscape."
Council thanks all presenters, partners, and community members for their involvement.
