One of Victoria’s largest energy suppliers will call the Latrobe Valley home thanks to support from the Victorian Government, creating hundreds of new jobs and boosting the local economy.
Minister for Regional Development Mary-Anne Thomas was in Morwell to open the newly completed Innovation Centre and to announce that Alinta Energy will establish its customer operations hub within the new state-of-the art building, creating more than 230 jobs for the Latrobe Valley.
The Government wholly funded the $17 million Centre, which is the centrepiece of the Gippsland High-Tech Precinct, through the $40 million Latrobe Valley Economic Development Program established in 2016.
The Government has also supported Alinta Energy through its investment attraction and Jobs Victoria program, enabling the company to commit to bringing its customer contact operations from the Philippines to the Centre.
The commitment from Alinta Energy to set up a principal operations hub for its retail business within the Centre builds on the company’s close community ties to Gippsland through its Loy Yang B Power Station.
The Innovation Centre is being managed by Federation University, with researchers to work closely with energy experts from the private sector to develop potential energy solutions.
The Centre will also host educational programs like the new subsidised Gippsland-based Master of Business Administration program providing business owners, entrepreneurs and leaders the tools to overcome challenges in their own organisations such as help with marketing and networking.
The Centre will also work with the adjacent Gippsland Tech School and TAFE Gippsland to ensure students have access to a broad range of opportunities and creating better pathways to higher education, research and industry.
Built to the highest environmental standards, key features of the new Centre include a 100-seat conference facility, commercial tenancies, and an innovation hub to promote creative thinking and practice.
Source: Vic Government