Australia has granted six companies the opportunity to examine the possibility of offshore windfarms for the first time
The Government of Australia has granted feasibility licences to six wind farm projects offshore Gippsland in the state of Victoria, which will enable the developers to conduct environmental assessments and geotechnical surveys in the designated wind farm zone.
The successful projects are Blue Mackerel North, Gippsland Skies, High Sea Wind, Kut-Wut Brataualung, Ørsted Offshore Australia 1 and Star of the South wind farm selected after submitting applications in 2023.
The schemes have been awarded feasibility licenses, allowing their developers to undertake detailed environmental assessments, geotechnical surveys, obtain approvals and undertake further consultation on their proposed projects. The studies will be conducted within the 15,000 sq km zone which was officially declared in the summer of 2022 as part of the nation’s ambitions to become net-zero by 2050.
Provided that feasibility is proven, developers can apply for a commercial licence to build their offshore wind farms.
The list of first-round winners includes the High Sea Wind Project North, proposed by Spain’s EDP Renewables and French energy group Engie; the Gippsland Skies by Aussie utility AGL, Mainstream Renewable Power, Reventus Power and Direct Infrastructure; Blue Mackerel North; Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP)’s Kut-Wut Brataualung and Star of the South projects; and the 2.8-GW Gippsland 01 scheme put forward by Ørsted Offshore Australia.
Collectively the 12 proposals, featuring companies such as Ørsted and Iberdrola, will deliver 25GW of generation capacity.
