Orsted, RWE, BlueFloat Energy and Corio Generation and an RES JV have been granted feasibility licences from the Australian government for the development of offshore wind farms.
In May 2024 Orsted announced it had been granted two licences with the second is subject to consultation.
On 17 July, it received the final confirmation for the second one.
The licences provide Orsted with site exclusivity to develop the two offshore wind sites with a view to bid in auctions, the first of which is expected to start in late 2025.
RWE’s project is close to the Kent Group islands in the Bass Strait, off the Gippsland coast in the state of Victoria.
This area, which RWE said has the potential to generate up to 2GW, is Australia’s first designated offshore wind zone.
This licence approval grants RWE an exclusive seven-year seabed right to develop the Kent Offshore Wind Farm project.
The approval also allows RWE to apply for a commercial licence to build and operate the wind farm for up to 40 years.
The site is about 67km off the coast and has average water depths of 59 metres.
The wind farm is expected to become operational in the first half of the 2030s, subject to the timing of the planning and approvals process, secured offtake as well as grid connection.
RWE Offshore Wind chief executive Sven Utermöhlen said: “Australia is a very attractive growth market for renewable energy.
“RWE has been active in the country for 10 years and operates one of Australia’s largest solar farms.
“By securing exclusive seabed rights in the Bass Strait off Gippsland, we are now entering the Australian offshore wind market and will bring our more than 20 years of experience in this field.
“With the Kent project, we will work on developing one of the first offshore wind farms off the Australian coast.
“This is in line with our strategy to grow our renewables portfolio in Australia and the wider APAC region.”
The next step for RWE in the further development of this early-stage scheme is to carry out studies to help determine the project design and to submit applications for planning permission.
Meanwhile, BlueFloat Energy’s Gippsland Dawn Offshore Wind Project has been awarded a feasibility licence by the Australian Government to further its development plans.
The site could be operational by 2031.
Gippsland Dawn is proposed to be located between Paradise Beach and Ocean Grange and has capacity to generate up to 2.1GW of electricity – enough to power more than one million homes.
The project will create 2000 jobs during construction and 200–300 ongoing jobs during operations and maintenance stages, creating new and enduring supply chains. It has an operational lifespan of up to 30 years.
Gippsland Dawn’s project director Darragh White said: “Gippsland Dawn will bring strong and lasting benefits to Gippsland and Australia.
“We look forward to continuing our engagement with Minister Chris Bowen, Victorian Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio, GLaWAC, local communities, unions and the energy industry in Victoria.
“We will work closely with commercial and recreational fishers and boaters to understand how we can share the ocean.”
A commercial licence is required for the project to move into the construction phase. This will be subject to a range of environmental and planning approvals and obtaining grid connection.
Corio Generation was also awarded a feasibility licence for its 2.5GW Great Eastern Offshore Wind project, located in the Gippsland offshore wind zone off the coast of Victoria.
The project is located approximately 22 kilometres off the central Gippsland coast to the east of Wilsons Promontory.
The fixed-bottom wind project will help to accelerate the offshore wind sector in Australia, while supporting state and national efforts to reduce our carbon emissions.
The project has recently achieved a milestone by completing 17 months of a 24-month marine environmental baseline survey program to inform the project development. The project is expected to be operational in 2032 to meet Victorian state targets and the project will then be operational for 30-plus years.
Also receiving a licence is the Navigator North project, a joint venture between Australian integrated energy company,Origin and RES.
The Navigator North project is approximately 34 kilometres from shore and covers an area of 700 square kilometres.
The Navigator North project has the potential to deliver 1.5GW of total installed capacity to the NEM, create an estimated 1,400 new jobs during the design and construction phase and a further 60 jobs over the project’s 30-year operational life.
Origin’s head of energy supply and operations, Greg Jarvis, said: “We are pleased to have been awarded a feasibility licence for the Navigator North offshore wind project, which is testimony to the strengths and capabilities of our joint venture, and the commitments expressed in our application.”