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Mainstream Renewable Power comes to Melbourne

Mainstream Renewable Power, a leading developer of utility-scale wind and solar power plants, opened an office in Melbourne to manage projects across the country.

Operating in high growth markets,the Irish-based global company has offices on five continents and employs more than 300 staff.  It has a nine gigawatt project development portfolio across Africa, Latin America and Europe.  It is also focusing on several markets in Asia, including Vietnam and the Philippines.

We were fortunate enough to catch up with Colin McGowan, General Manager, for the companies Australian operations, to ask him about their Victorian investment journey.

  1. What attracted your company to invest in Victoria?

    Melbourne has a great reputation for business, particularly in renewable energy. It is also consistently voted as one of the most liveable cities in the world. It’s a great environment for our staff to live in, whether raised here or relocating from around the world.

  2. What challenges did you face when you were exploring/entering/expanding into Victoria?

    Mainstream has considerable international experience and understands the need to apply this into the Victorian and Australian context. Assisted by Invest Victoria, we are building a network of business relationships, expanding our knowledge to establish ourselves as a significant player in the Australian energy market.

  3. How did working with Invest Victoria help with your investment journey?

    Invest Victoria has been working with us since early 2018 to support our entry into Victoria.  They provided us access to their extensive network of business contacts in Victoria. They also acted as a sounding board for initial expansion decisions including office location and provided information on Victorian renewable energy policy and the energy transition underway.

  4. What advice do you have for other global businesses looking to invest in Victoria to improve their chance of success?

    Arrive with a plan for expansion, with triggers based on meeting your organisation’s targets. Be flexible – the market is unlikely to be exactly as you’ve assumed, regardless of the extent of research undertaken prior to expansion.

Contact us to find out more about investing in Victoria’s renewable energy sector.