Boat operators are putting their safety at risk, ignoring an exclusion zone off the coast of Port Fairy.
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The 300-metre zone is around the BioWAVE renewable energy system, which is located five kilometres west of Port Fairy at Taylors Bay.
BioPower Systems CEO Tim Finnigan said the exclusion zone was in place to protect boaters’ safety.
“The area’s subject to an exclusion zone. We’ve noticed when doing some site work, some of the recreational or commercial boating community aren’t recognising that hazard,” Mr Finnigan said.
“It’s very important the public is aware of that marine hazard and adheres to that exclusion zone.”
He said while the unit was “well submerged”, once it was standing up and operational, it would become an obstacle on the water’s surface.
North and a south buoys, installed late last year, clearly show the exclusion zone.
The unit, which was deployed in late December, is yet to funnel electricity into the national grid.
Mr Finnigan said there were some “glitches in the system and teething problems” that the onsite team hoped to rectify soon.
The system is designed to extract wave energy and turn it into electricity, which is produced on board.
“The machine isn’t going yet. We’re still in the commissioning stage. It’s taking a bit longer than we thought.
“It’s there but it’s not doing anything yet,” he said.
Heavy swells in January and February have caused the delay, with divers needing calm conditions to complete underwater mechanical work.
While the exact start date is unknown, Mr Finnigan said it wouldn’t be long until electricity was generated.
Once the works are completed, the electricity produced is sent to shore via a cable on the sea bed. It is expected to feed 250 kilowatts of renewable energy into the national grid.
The $21 million pilot is Victoria’s first wave energy project.
