Last Thursday morning, the inaugural Cooper Energy community breakfast and tour brought together around 40 local community members, representatives from various organisations and local government officials.
Hosted at the Orbost Club Hotel, the event marked the beginning of what Cooper Energy hopes will become an annual tradition, fostering community engagement and understanding of its operations.
Attendees included members of the Rotary Club of Orbost, the Orbost and District Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and other interested community members.
Also present were East Gippsland Shire councillors Tom Crook and Kirsten Van Diggele, along with executives such as General Manager of Place and Community, Chris Stephenson and Place Facilitator, Kath McDonald.
Valued partners from the Royal Flying Doctors Service were also in attendance, reflecting the broader community engagement that Cooper Energy seeks to cultivate.
The event was opened by Bindi Gove, Head of External Affairs for Cooper Energy, who provided a brief overview of the company’s operations.
“We have two gas plants, one at Port Campbell and one here in Orbost,” Ms Gove explained.
“We are planning on turning this into an annual event, so for anyone who missed out this year, there will be more opportunities to join in the future.”
Jane Norman, Cooper Energy’s chief executive officer, and managing director, followed with an in-depth discussion on the company’s role in the local and national energy landscape.
“We are really pleased to have people come and see our gas plant today,” Norman said.
“This breakfast is about bringing the community together, sharing a meal, engaging in meaningful conversations, and helping people understand what we do here.”
Ms Norman highlighted the importance of the Orbost plant to both the local community and the broader energy market.
“Around two-thirds of our workforce at the Orbost plant live locally,” she noted, emphasising the company’s commitment to regional employment and further developing the technical training and capability of those who live locally who will support the plant.
“We see that integration with the community as a really key role in terms of how we can give back to the region.”
The event also spotlighted Cooper Energy’s role in the domestic gas supply, with Jane explaining approximately 10 per cent of AGL’s gas is supplied by Cooper Energy, all of which goes into the domestic market where it is sold to the big utilities, and they sell to businesses and households.
“We are small in terms of oil and gas size, but we are really important in terms of domestic gas supply and in particular residential customers,” Ms Norman said.
“Gas plays a really important role in our everyday lives, and it is not always immediately obvious. It goes beyond heating our homes and fuelling our stoves. Gas is a critical component of producing bricks, glass, steel, and aluminium materials that are the foundation of our modern world.”
“Here in Orbost, we are proud to contribute to this essential industry in Southeast Australia.”
In addition to gas production, Cooper Energy is exploring innovative ways to repurpose byproducts from their operations.
Jane announced an exciting new trial with the Gippsland Agriculture Group, aiming to convert the sulphur byproduct which comes from the offshore reservoir into agricultural fertiliser which is needed to support healthy soils in Australia and in particular the East Gippsland region.
“This initiative is a really good example of how we can turn byproducts from the plant into useful resources and contribute environmental sustainability and improve agricultural productivity,” Ms Norman said.
“We are hoping this trial will result in a commercial arrangement with farmers where we can supply them with sulphur.
“They are currently buying in sulphur at around $1000/ tonne, and it is being trucked down from Queensland’ Whereas the sulphur from the Orbost Gas Plant is currently being trucked out of the area and used to create road base.”
The breakfast also highlighted Cooper Energy’s recent deal with Alinta Energy to supply gas to the Bairnsdale Power Station during times of elevated electricity demand.
“This agreement underscores the growing opportunity for Cooper Energy to support the reliability of the electricity system amid increasing reliance on variable renewables,” Ms Norman said.
Following the breakfast, attendees were invited on a tour of the Orbost Gas Plant.
Two minibuses provided an up-close drive-around of the facility, giving participants a first-hand look at the operations while learning from team members on site about the various components that make up the facility.
The event was not just about showcasing Cooper Energy’s operations but also about building stronger ties with the community.
As Jane expressed, “We believe in the value and power of partnerships, and our community partners program reflects our commitment to supporting organisations that make a real difference in our region.”
With plans already in place to make this an annual event, the inaugural Cooper Energy community breakfast and tour successfully laid the groundwork for future engagement, collaboration and shared growth between Cooper Energy and the local community.
