Artesian water under the Hazelwood and Loy Yang Mines is extracted to maintain mine stability, but currently the heat energy from the artesian water is not being captured and utilised. Heat energy within the artesian waters can sustain alternate industries.

To this end, Melbourne University has conceptualised Smart Geothermal Industrial Loops (SGIL) (University of Melbourne, 2024) that support a range of industries. We understand that ENGIE (Hazelwood's owners) are unlikely to want to pursue opportunities beyond making the heat and land available, but this is important.

Major supermarkets, for example, may well be interested as this potentially assists in their push to be CO2 neutral. The heat energy could also be utilised for up market spa / resort activities. These examples can only be realised with progressive relinquishment of mine lands for repurposing. This requires mine repurposing working in parallel with mine rehabilitation.

Again, in order to ensure that proposals for use of mine lands are coherent and lead to the best outcomes for locals and visitors it is critical that precincts are identified for various activities. These precincts need to be sympathetic in their relationships to each other so that the visitor and local experience are not diminished by inappropriate siting of development, hence the need for a plan, NOW.