Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) is to partner with Offshore Energy in a bid to bring Australia’s first offshore wind farm to fruition.
Star of the South is a proposed 2 GW offshore wind farm located off the south coast of Gippsland, Victoria state and has so far been developed solely by Offshore Energy.
Further development of the project site, located 10-25 km off the coast in the Bass Strait, will be undertaken by the new partnership, Offshore Energy said in a statement. It is currently in discussions with the government over an exploration licence that would allow it to start project feasibility studies in 2018.
It has also started a stakeholder consultation process, and says that it will work with the government over other licences and the framework needed for construction to commence.
“Offshore Energy is delighted to partner with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, one of the leading offshore wind developers in the world, to develop Australia’s first offshore wind farm,” said Andy Evans, managing director of Offshore Energy. “The partnership brings together local knowledge and proven international experience that we believe will deliver many benefits for Australia, Victoria and local communities.”
Offshore Energy says that there are a number of factors that make offshore wind an attractive option in Australia, including recent and planned coal plant closures, forecast energy shortages, a lack of new large-scale power generation projects and decreasing offshore wind energy costs.
