The Australian federal government officially commenced the process to declare Gippsland, Victoria as Australia’s first zone for offshore wind project development. So far, the proposal has been met with great interest, with more than 6,000MW of potential projects proposed for the development, including the 2,200MW ‘Star of the South’ project proposed by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Cbus.
These projects will mark the start of a new industry to reduce carbon emissions, promote job and economic development for regional Australia and the use of clean energy. For now, these projects are in the early stages of planning, completing assessments, and obtaining approvals with plans to commence works in the mid-2020s and achieve full-power generation by 2030. In the meantime, the public is invited to provide feedback during the 60-day consultation process through the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Submissions will be accepted until 7 October 2022.
The Australian government has identified five other regions with world-class offshore wind energy potential:
- Pacific Ocean (Hunter);
- Pacific Ocean (Illawarra);
- Southern Ocean (Portland, Victoria);
- Bass Strait (Northern Tasmania); and
- Indian Ocean (Perth/Bunbury, Western Australia).
More information on these potential zones will be provided in future.
The Hamilton Locke team advises across the energy project life cycle – from project development, grid connection, financing, and construction, including the buying and selling of development and operating projects. For more information, please contact Matt Baumgurtel.
