Accelerating the transition in Victoria

“It’s been a good news story north of the border, so I’m looking at how we can extend that good news story south into Victoria,” he says. “Expanding Lumea’s presence is a natural extension of what we do, and it’s not just important to the business, it’s important for the needs of government, customers and communities here in Victoria.” 

Widger brings twenty years of experience in infrastructure to the job, and despite only being on the team for a matter of months, he already has major plans for Lumea’s role in the bigger picture for Victoria’s energy transition. “To meet the publicly communicated dates around closure of coal-generated power in Victoria is going to require a whole of industry approach. This means being really bold and delivering innovative solutions to hit those committed timeframes,” he says. “ The governments renewable energy targets for 2030 and 2035 are good anchor milestones where we can target some of our aspirations.” Last week, Lumea was announced as the delivery partner for the Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub, which will be the largest battery in the southern hemisphere and one of the biggest in the world. This type of win demonstrates the expertise that Lumea is bringing to the state to support the government in achieving those targets. 

Widger believes that Lumea’s value proposition around speed to market, delivery assurance, and value for money, provides customers and the broader sector with what is needed right now. Widger is unapologetic about pursuing growth and has an attitude focused on getting things done. "There's a lot of chatter happening at the moment but what's important is getting things actually happening, for example boots on the ground and ideas in front of senior government ministers.”  

With his background in heading up large scale infrastructure projects with complex issues, and a dedicated Victorian team on board, Widger is confident that it’s going to be a strong decade ahead for the business. “We've made incredible progress and we are well positioned to continue that trajectory,” he says, pointing to the Deer Park Energy Hub west of Tullamarine airport as a great example of Lumea’s skill at mobilising projects forward.  “We’re approaching the clean energy transition in a considered and methodical way and we’re rolling out our value proposition in line with specific opportunities. This ensures our customers receive the best quality outcomes that are fit for purpose, and gets them generating and earning revenue faster which ultimately helps all Victorian households with power bills”