Australia’s first fleet of aspiring offshore wind farm developers has been selected, and the federal government has issued six exclusive permits to companies vying to build giant turbines in the waters off the Victorian coast.
If all the proponents demonstrate the viability of their projects and gain development approval, the Gippsland wind fleet could generate up to 25 gigawatts of electricity – 40 per cent of the grid’s current capacity – and create a combined 15,000 construction jobs and 7500 ongoing roles. The government announced the six companies to be granted preferability licences. They are: High Sea Wind, Gippsland Skies, Blue Mackerel North, Kut-Wut Brataualung, Ørsted Offshore and Star of the South.Alex Ellinghausen
The Victorian government is aiming to source about 2 gigawatts – or 20 per cent of the state’s total power needs – from offshore wind by 2030 and doubling that target to 4 gigawatts by 2035 and 9 gigawatts by 2040.“We’re proud to be paving the way for the country’s first offshore wind farms, which will harness our world-class offshore wind resources and power homes and businesses across Australia with renewable energy,” D’Ambrosio said.