A Long Term Plan for Long Term Solutions

The challenge of sustainable reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through technology is complex and requires long term strategies. Real reductions require thinking in terms of decades, if not centuries. Achieving major changes in the way energy is produced and consumed is an incremental process. This process requires project development, design, engineering, stakeholder engagement and permitting, and construction.

In accordance with standard project management principles, a staged development approach has been planned which stretches over at least the next decade. At the end of each stage the two companies will review the work completed and decide how to proceed to the next stage.

Not surprisingly, for a project with the scope and complexity of Monash Energy, the time scale extends to the second half of the next decade.

The project critically depends on the development of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) infrastructure in Victoria, which in itself is a major undertaking that will take a number of years.

Most importantly, it requires careful project planning and technology development to ensure the large-scale plant is a technical and commercial success.