Australia’s First Offshore Wind Area Now Open for Feasibility Licence Applications
Australia’s Ministry for Climate Change and Energy has opened the invitation period for feasibility licence applications for the Gippsland declared area, the country’s first offshore wind region.
On 19 December 2022, the Minister for Climate Change and Energy declared the offshore Gippsland area as suitable for offshore renewable energy infrastructure. And now that the area has been declared, the Minister released invitations to apply for feasibility licences in the Gippsland declared area.
The open area which lies offshore the state of Victoria covers about 15,000 square kilometres and runs from Lakes Entrance in the east to south of Wilsons Promontory in the west. The expanse can support more than 10 GW of offshore wind capacity.
Victoria intends to reach 2 GW of offshore generation by 2032, 4 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2035, and 9 GW by 2040.
Feasibility Licence applications will now be accepted for proposed projects within the Gippsland declared area from 23 January 2023 to 27 April 2023.
Once the application period has closed, the Registrar will assess all applications against criteria set out in the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Regulations 2022, and make recommendations to the Minister.
With a number of interested parties, it is expected the announcement will now generate a drive by developers to secure a feasibility licence. Earlier reports indicated that only five projects are likely to receive the first regulatory approval.
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