Mid West Economic Summit has heavy focus on renewable energy and investing for the future

A focus on investing today for tomorrow and an appetite for renewable energy have been the main talking points to come out of the Mid West Economic Summit. On Wednesday, more than 100 people went to Queens Park Theatre to hear industry updates on the Mid West region. Among them was State and Industry Development Minister Jessica Shaw, who discussed the WA Government’s strategy for renewable energy. She said the WA Government was one of the first to implement a renewable hydrogen strategy, setting goals in 2019 for the short and long term. Ms Shaw told the economic summit renewable energy has “incredible scope”, and the technology continues to develop. “The Mid West presents a significant opportunity for renewable hydrogen,” she said. “It’s not a silver bullet, but it has many applications.” Ms Shaw, who earlier this week announced her intention to retire from politics to pursue opportunities in the renewable energy sector, said she had high hopes for the Mid West. “We have to give everything we have to energy transition,” she said. “I believe the Mid West can be world leading.” A local government panel also took to the stage, with leaders from the City of Greater Geraldton and the Shires of Northampton, Chapman Valley and Mingenew taking questions from the audience. Roads were a hot topic of conversation, with most areas seeking more investment due to increased heavy vehicle traffic. Mingenew Shire president Gary Cosgrove said the conditions from Mingenew to Dongara were getting worse, due to the roads not being suitable for the trucks using it. He said it was a safety issue in the community. Northampton Shire president Liz Sudlow agreed, saying a Northampton bypass was essential for trucks. However, all of the panellists agreed the investment could not be at the expense of ratepayers. International companies were also represented, with BP and Vestas each speaking about investment in the Mid West for renewable hydrogen projects. Meanwhile Australian Vanadium Limited spoke of its intention to construct a vanadium mine to create long term batteries, competing with overseas markets in China, Russia, and South Africa.