By Egbodo Queen
The Australian government says it has awarded feasibility licences for offshore wind projects to six wind farms proposed to be built offshore Gippsland in Victoria, with a further six licences expected to be awarded, subject to First Nations consultation.
According to Australian authorities, those awarded the license included; High Sea Wind (Ocean Winds), Gippsland Skies (a consortium comprising Mainstream Renewable Power, Reventus Power, and AGL Energy and DIRECT Infrastructure).
Others are: Blue Mackerel North (Parkwind/JERA Nex), Kut-Wut Brataualung (Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Corporation), Ørsted Offshore Australia 1, and Star of the South Wind Farm (Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, NZ Super, and Cbus Super).
The total expected capacity to be generated from the first six offshore wind projects is around 12 GW.
The award of the first feasibility licences was announced on 1 May by Australia’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, who said the government intended to grant another six licences, subject to First Nations consultation.
The further six projects that could soon reach this stage, according to the Australian government, are developed by Iberdrola Australia OW 2 (Aurora Green), Greater Gippsland 2 OWP Project (Gippsland Dawn), Navigator North Project, Ørsted Offshore Australia 1 (the Gippsland 02 project), Kent Offshore Wind, and Great Eastern Offshore Wind Farm Project.
If approved, the twelve offshore wind farms would have a total of 25 GW of generation capacity, enough to power the Gippsland region’s annual industrial consumption 100 times over, and could create over 15,000 jobs during construction and another 7,500 ongoing jobs, according to the government.
“The regions that have powered our nation for decades stand to benefit greatly from Australia’s offshore wind industry.
“Reliable renewables and secure jobs are a step closer for Gippsland as Australia’s first offshore wind zone hits a new milestone.
“The next step towards helping deliver future-proof energy security and reliability for Victoria, as well as a new clean energy industry for Australia, is the granting of feasibility licences,” Bowen stated.
The goals for offshore wind set by the Victorian government are 2 GW by 2032, 4 GW by 2035, and 9 GW by 2040.
Projects in the Gippsland offshore wind zone, according to Victorian Minister of Energy and Resources, Lily D’Ambrosio, will be essential to meeting the state’s renewable energy ambitions.
“We are honored to be leading the way for the nation’s first offshore wind farms, which will utilize our top-notch offshore wind resources to provide renewable energy to homes and businesses throughout Australia.
“Additionally, thousands of jobs in Gippsland and throughout the supply chain will be supported by these offshore wind projects, creating new chances for skill development within the renewable energy sector. Throughout the feasibility licensing process, consultations with communities, marine users, and First Nations groups will take place.
Developers can then apply for a commercial license to build an offshore wind project in order to produce power on a commercial basis if the project’s viability is established,” D’Ambrosio added.
However, analysts note that although there hasn’t been the same level of public outrage over a proposed project in the Illawarra as there has been for the offshore wind precinct in Gippsland, there are some worries regarding the project’s completion timeline.
It is uncertain where the numerous engineers and construction workers required for the precinct would reside, despite the government’s promotion of the project as a major employment provider.