On Wednesday, the Australian government issued licenses for six projects to assess the viability of constructing offshore wind farms in the initial offshore development area near Gippsland, Victoria.
There is potential for an additional six projects to be considered in the future.
The developers of the selected offshore wind projects have been granted feasibility licenses, allowing them to conduct detailed environmental assessments, surveys, and consultations within the designated 15,000 sq km zone.
This zone was officially declared in the summer of 2022 as part of the nation’s efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
Upon proving feasibility, developers can proceed to apply for commercial licenses to construct their offshore wind farms.
The first-round winners include projects such as High Sea Wind Project North, Gippsland Skies, Blue Mackerel North, Kut-Wut Brataualung, Star of the South, and Gippsland 01 scheme.
The application process for feasibility licenses was highly competitive, with a total of 37 applications received for the offshore zone.
The government also mentioned the possibility of awarding feasibility licenses to six more projects after consultations with Indigenous groups.
The selected projects have the potential to deliver 25 GW of installed offshore turbine capacity.
However, feasibility licenses were not granted to the remaining 25 applicants.
Victoria aims to achieve specific offshore wind generation capacity targets by 2032, 2035, and 2040.
Source the Australian government
