Supporting Gippsland businesses has been a priority for the Aurora Green Offshore Wind Project team from the very beginning – long before construction is even on the horizon. While the project is still in the feasibility stage, we’ve been working with local suppliers on a wide range of activities, from environmental and cultural studies through to communications materials and merchandise.

Whether it’s larger contracts with consultants or boat crews, or just grabbing a coffee for a chat with community stakeholders, our team is making a conscious effort to engage local small businesses whenever we can. Aurora Green’s steady stream of activity means visiting engineers, environmental specialists and project staff are supporting local cafes, staying in nearby accommodation and relying on regional services as the early project work continues.

And while our project is located 25km+ off the coast between Seaspray/The Honeysuckles and Woodside Beach, our work has taken us to all corners of Gippsland – from South Gippsland through to the larger towns of Latrobe Valley and Sale and further afield to Lakes Entrance. We recently caught up with one of our local suppliers we’re working with, Charles Solomon from CS Consulting and Design, at the Deadly in Gippsland First Nations Business Expo in Sale, organised by Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC).

Our local focus is being backed up by strong support for small business suppliers by Iberdrola Australia, which achieved 97 per cent on-time payments in the latest reporting period, up from 91 per cent. This reflects a continued focus on meeting our standard 30-day payment terms and supporting the businesses we work with right across Australia.

If you are a small business supplier who wishes to work with us on the Aurora Green project, register your interest on the ICN Gateway at https://gateway.icn.org.au/projects/9310/ or reach out to us by emailing offshorewind@iberdrola.com.au.