BlueFloat Energy and Energy Estate have expanded the proposed capacity of their Greater Gippsland offshore wind project from 1275MW to 2085MW.
Last month, the project, located in the Bass Strait off the coast of Gippsland in Victoria, was declared by the Australian Government as the first area to be assessed for suitability for offshore wind developments.
“It’s no surprise that Gippsland was selected as the first declared area given the region´s obvious advantages – excellent wind resources, a strong skills base with a maritime heritage, a long history of industrial development, and it is home to a well-established offshore energy industry already” said Nick Sankey, Country Manager for BlueFloat Energy.
The increase in the capacity of the Greater Gippsland Offshore Wind Project to over 2GW results from the partners’ detailed analysis of the investigation area announced in 2021 and its potential for offshore wind.
It takes into account the proposed offshore zone area, available grid capacity, accelerated retirement of coal fired energy generation and the Australian Government’s support for an “increasing but orderly transition” to renewable energy.
The water depth at the Greater Gippsland project site means that bottom-fixed technology will be used for this project.
“The expansion of our Gippsland project is aligned with the Victorian Government’s ambitious target for offshore wind generation” said Simon Currie, Founder of Energy Estate.
“It demonstrates BlueFloat Energy and Energy Estate’s commitment to the development of large-scale projects, which can enhance long term energy security in Victoria and across the National Electricity Market (NEM).”
BlueFloat Energy and Energy Estate have a portfolio of offshore wind projects in development in Australia including the Hunter Coast Offshore Wind Project and the Wollongong Offshore Wind Project in New South Wales and the Southern Winds Offshore Wind Project in Victoria.
The partners are also assessing further sites for large scale offshore wind projects across Australia.