The skyline at Federation University's Mount Helen campus will soon change, with construction of a 23-metre wind turbine training tower to be built.
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The tower will be the first in Australia built for training and is the first stage of the much-vaunted Asia Pacific Renewable Energy Training Centre.
The tender for construction of the 23m tower has been released with construction expected to start in July.
"With this new tower some of the industry's biggest renewable energy companies can now train wind turbine technicians in Ballarat instead of using fly-in fly-out workers," said Federation University Pro-Vice Chancellor (VET) and Federation TAFE chief executive Liam Sloan.
The tower has been designed with ladders and safety equipment that will give students real-world experience when training to work in the wind industry, or other industries that require working at heights, such as construction and maintenance.
Once the tower is completed, Federation TAFE will be the only training provider in Australia able to deliver the Global Wind Organisation (GWO) basic safety training and refresher training courses from a simulated wind turbine tower - delivering a real-world working at heights experience.
GWO accreditation is a requirement for anyone working on a wind turbine in Australia or around the world.
Three major wind farms have come online around Ballarat in the past two years, with a fourth in the pipeline to the south, which join several others nearby including closer to Daylesford and Colac. It means there are hundreds of massive wind turbines in the areas around Ballarat alone that will require maintenance in to the future, along with countless other renewable energy projects already built, under construction or planned across the country.
The first stage of the renewable energy training centre has received $1.8 million in funding from renewable energy companies Vestas, Acciona, GPG and Tilt Renewables. The second stage will include a classroom, workshop and training equipment to deliver specialised training courses, such as wind turbine maintenance and blade repair.
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"We want to make Federation University the leading training and research partner for the renewable energy sector in Australia - this new wind turbine training tower is an important step," said Federation University vice chancellor Professor Duncan Bentley.
"The Asia Pacific Renewable Energy Training Centre puts Ballarat and Federation University at the heart of Victoria's growing renewable energy sector, which means more jobs and investment in our region, as well as cheaper and greener power."
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