WORKERS constructing Orford's proposed gas-fired power station will be encouraged to live in towns across the district to minimise disruption and spread the economic spin-offs.
The district's population is expected to grow by 490 people, which includes workers and their families, when the project is at its peak. That will drop to 72 people during stage one of operation of the plant.
Santos, the company behind the station, is planning to use local labour where qualified people are available in an effort to limit the influx of workers to the region during construction.
According to an Environmental Effects Statement (EES) released on Friday, Santos hopes this will also minimise the increase in property rental prices and the effects on the tourism industry from competition for short-term accommodation.
The EES says construction traffic travelling to the Riordans Road site, 800 metres east of the Hamilton-Port Fairy Road, could affect road safety and increase wear and tear of the road pavement.
Santos is planning to upgrade the power station access roads and intersections to maintain the existing service and safety standards. These upgrades will remain once construction is complete.
"At full capacity, one or two heavy vehicle return trips per day will transport brine from the power station to the proposed Wannon Water facility in the industrial area of west Warrnambool," the EES states. "There will be no heavy vehicle movements during hours of school bus operation where practicable."
The EES says laying the gas pipeline from Port Campbell and the water supply pipeline from Port Fairy to the plant would increase traffic and heavy machinery, involve the removal of vegetation and potentially require the establishment of construction camps.
"These intrusions on the rural landscape and its visual amenity will be evident to close viewers, but will be short term. In the long term, the affected areas will be rehabilitated to the point of being almost indistinguishable from the surrounding landscape."
The power station site and much of the surrounding landscape have been previously cleared for agriculture.
The EES says the operation of the power station will increase noise and light in the local landscape.
"These disturbances are at the immediate local scale and may change how some species, such as the southern bent-wing bat, use the area."
"Depending upon meteorological conditions, noise from the operation of the power station, compressor station, recycled water treatment plant and pump stations may be audible at some nearby residences." Santos is conducting public consultation sessions at Macarthur and Orford tomorrow, at Warrnambool and Port Fairy on Wednesday and in Port Campbell on Thursday.
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