Victoria is set to deliver Australia’s first offshore wind farms, with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) launching a paper to set the course.
Announcing the plan, Premier, Daniel Andrews said the policy, set out in DELWP’s Victorian Offshore Wind Policy Directions Paper, included procuring projects that would generate at least two gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind online by 2032, enough to power 1.5 million homes.
“Winds off Victoria’s coastline are among the best in the world and the resource can support a thriving new industry − one that will create thousands of jobs, drive economic development and help Victoria halve emissions by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050,” Mr Andrews said.
“Studies show the State has the potential to support an enormous 13 GW of capacity from coastal regions by 2050 – five times the State’s current renewable energy generation,” he said.
Mr Andrews said the first power from offshore wind was expected by 2028, followed by targets of 4GW for 2035 and 9GW for 2040.
To kickstart development plans, DELWP said it would launch a consultation process to ensure Traditional Owners, local communities and industry could have their say on the Policy Directions Paper and the approach to establishing offshore wind.
It said consultation was expected to commence next month (April).
“Offshore wind power is a viable source of renewable energy that is commercially operated at a large scale in Europe and is rapidly expanding globally,” DELWP said.
“It is expected to be a vital part of Victoria’s clean energy transition,” it said.
DELWP’s 28-page Directions Paper can be accessed at this PS News link.
