Building a foundation for investment & development in offshore wind
Offshore wind, an established way of generating green energy at scale in Europe, is making waves in Australia. Turbines can be bigger than on land and enjoy more consistent wind speeds. This difference in “generation profile” complements onshore wind and solar power, enabling renewable and reliable energy systems.
In 2022, GHD and Nous Group have played a key role in the development of the Victorian Government’s recently released Offshore Wind Implementation Statement 1, a first for Australia. The Implementation Statement will provide greater clarity to potential developers and investors in relation to the Government’s intent and program for supporting offshore wind off the Victorian coastline.
Previously we worked with Nous Group to inform the government’s Offshore Wind Policy Directions Paper, where the government committed to reach 4 GW of offshore capacity by 2035 and 9 GW by 2040. This ambitious tempo of investment will help the state meet its net zero commitment by 2050.
Our work has included a range of technical studies including site identification, the quality of the wind resource, bathymetry of the ocean, potential impacts on the environment and fishing, constraints posed by shipping routes, electricity transmission connections and capacity, and development of seaports to support construction activities.
“The offshore wind industry is new to Australia so there wasn’t an existing regulatory or policy framework to guide these developments,”
Shawn Wolfe, Executive Advisor with GHD Advisory
“Our findings will help shape the ongoing decarbonisation of energy systems in Australia, as plans to retire coal-fired power stations are accelerated.”
We are also helping the offshore wind industry develop in the USA by engaging with developers and public agency consortia to accelerate site selection concepts that are environmentally sustainable and would create socioeconomic value for both the proponent and the local community. For example, our spatial intelligence team has mapped commercial fisheries along Northern and Central California for the California Offshore Wind Energy Gateway, helping to establish optimal site selection and reduce the risk of stakeholder conflicts.
These exciting developments in Australia and the US, combined with the leading-edge solutions already being applied in the more mature European market, bode well for offshore wind to play an increasingly important role in the green energy transition globally.
