SSE Renewables and Asia-Pacific independent power producer Equis Development Pte have formed a 50/50 owned JV to bid for a feasibility licence in Australia’s first Federal Government declared offshore wind zone of Gippsland, near the State of Victoria.
The pair have identified the target areas in which they intend to apply for a feasibility licence and are working together on the required due diligence work ahead of a bid submission in April 2023.
Should the JV be successful, SSE Renewables will be responsible for the engineering, procurement, construction, operations, and maintenance of the offshore wind project.
Equis will be responsible for the development of the offshore wind project, including the power network connection, development approval and environmental requirements, community and stakeholder engagement, offtake and government licensing and financing requirements.
The State of Victoria is targeting at least 2GW of offshore generation capacity by 2032, 4GW by 2035 and 9GW by 2040.
Vincent Clausse, head of international business development at SSE Renewables, said: “SSE is carefully targeting opportunities to expand its pipeline internationally.
“Australia and the State of Victoria are at a very early stage of developing their offshore wind potential and SSE sees the Gippsland tender as a good opportunity to bring its capabilities to help deliver it.
“We are delighted to partner with Equis on this application, combining our track record in offshore wind and their local presence and renewables development experience”.
Managing director at Equis David Russell added: “Equis has been a leading renewable energy developer in Australia and the Asia Pacific for the last decade, including offshore wind generation.
“SSE is the first-choice partner of offshore wind developers and owners globally and complements Equis’ development expertise, all of which will be fundamental for completing projects in Australia in the highly constrained and competitive offshore wind global market.”