Australia Launches First Offshore Wind Farm Zone

Sonali Paul
Monday, December 19, 2022

Australia on Monday opened up its first zone for developing offshore wind farms in a region off its southern coast, looking  to jumpstart a new industry to help achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

As expected, the government selected the Gippsland coast off the state of Victoria for the first offshore wind power zone, where an A$9 billion ($6 billion) project that has been on the drawing board for a decade, known as Star of the South, will be located.

"Australia has huge potential in offshore wind and today the Albanese government is giving this industry a green light," Energy Minister Chris Bowen said in a statement.

The government on Monday also awarded major project status to Star of the South, which will help fast-track approvals for the 2.2 gigawatt (GW) offshore wind farm. 

The project's operator, also known as Star of the South, said if all went as planned it could start construction around 2025 and begin producing power around the end of the decade.

Map of proposed offshore wind area in Bass Strait off Gippsland

©Australia's Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water



"As the most advanced offshore wind project in Australia, we're helping pave the way for this new industry to grow, so this is good news for everyone involved," Star of the South Chief Executive Officer Charles Rattray said in a statement.

Another developer, Flotation Energy teamed up with Japan's Tokyo Electric Power Co, is looking to build a 1.5 GW project called Seadragon and said it could be ready in six years and power up to 1 million homes.

Macquarie Group's offshore wind arm, Corio Generation said it would apply for a feasibility license for its proposed 2.5 GW Great Eastern Offshore Wind project in Gippsland.

The projects could all help the state of Victoria meet its ambitious target of hitting 2 GW of offshore generation by 2032 and 4 GW by 2035, but the country faces several challenges building the industry from scratch.

The government is considering opening other regions for offshore wind farms, including off the state of New South Wales on the east coast, off western Victoria, off northern Tasmania, and off the south coast of Western Australia.

 ($1 = 1.4941 Australian dollars)


(Reuters - Reporting by Sonali Paul; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell and Himani Sarkar)

Categories: Energy Industry News Activity

Related Stories

Cheniere, JERA Ink Long-Term LNG Sale and Purchase Agreement

Shelf Drilling Lands New Jack-Up Contract in Vietnam, Extends Egypt Deal

Inpex Picks FEED Contractors for Abadi LNG Onshore Plant

Inpex Kicks Off FEED Work for Abadi LNG Scheme Offshore Indonesia

BP, ONGC, Reliance Industries Ink Deal for Offshore Exploration in India

Yinson, PTSC Get $600M Contract for Vietnam-Bound FSO

PTTEP Buys Chevron's Hess Unit Share of Southeast Asia’s Offshore Block for $450M

Valeura Energy, PTTEP Partner Up on Gulf of Thailand Blocks

KBR-SOCAR Joint Venture Secures Work for BP in Azerbaijan

Baker Hughes, Petronas Team Up for Asia-Pacific Energy Resilience

Current News

CIP, Petrovietnam Team Up for Offshore Wind Project in Vietnam

Seatrium Signs FLNG Vessel Upgrade Deal for Golar LNG

EnQuest Enters Indonesia with Operatorship PSCs for Two Exploration Blocks

PXGEO Nets First Seismic Survey off Malaysia

SPE Offshore Europe 2025 set to drive transformational change for the energy sector

Shipbuilder Delivers Fast Crew Boat Pair to Aesen

Norwegian Oil Investment Will Peak in '25

Saipem Marks First Steel Cut for Tangguh UCC Project at Karimun Yard

Saipem Wins FEED Contract For Abadi LNG Project FPSO Module In Indonesia

Cheniere, JERA Ink Long-Term LNG Sale and Purchase Agreement

Subscribe for AOG Digital E‑News

AOG Digital E-News is the subsea industry's largest circulation and most authoritative ENews Service, delivered to your Email three times per week

https://accounts.newwavemedia.com