Ocean Winds, an international company dedicated to offshore wind energy and created as a 50-50 joint venture by EDP Renewables and ENGIE, has been granted a feasibility license by the Australian Government for a 150 km2 area to develop an offshore wind farm in waters off Gippsland, Victoria. These clean energy projects, the first offshore wind ones in Australia, will play a key role in reaching Victoria’s targets of 95% of renewable energy by 2035 with at least 2 GW of offshore wind generation capacity by 2032, 4 GW by 2035 and 9 GW by 2040.
Ocean Winds was granted the license through its bidding company High Sea Wind Pty Ltd. The High Sea Wind project will represent an installed capacity of 1.28 GW, the equivalent of a year of electricity for one million Victorian households and avoiding up to 5.3 million tons of CO2 emissions per year, aligned with the targets for offshore wind in Victoria.
This first round of offshore wind projects in Australia will unlock opportunities for national industries supporting their development and construction, particularly in regional areas.
As Bautista Rodriguez, Chief Executive Officer for Ocean Winds, commented: “We are delighted to receive this new project as a sign of trust from the Australian Government towards Ocean Winds’ capabilities to successfully deliver clean offshore wind energy. We have a proven track record of turning offshore wind into a reality in new markets; mainly thanks to our focus on developing local supply chains, maintaining technical, environmental, and social best practices.”
Rafael Munilla, Chief Business Development Officer for Ocean Winds, added: “Entering a new market and growing our secured portfolio reinforces an already strong 2024 with key accomplishments marked by the ongoing construction of 2 GW of offshore wind projects around the globe, and safe operation of another 1.5 GW. We are looking forward to bringing this experience to Australia, working hand in hand with all stakeholders, with a special focus and attention to First Nations, other sea users and local communities impacted by the project.”
The High Sea Wind project will be developed with the support of Ocean Winds’ expertise coming from its now close to 18 GW of secured offshore wind projects worldwide, but also from its sponsors, EDP Renewables, which recently acquired local renewables player ITP Development (ITPD) and has now a 1.5 GW pipeline with wind, solar and storage projects, and ENGIE, present in Australia since 1996 and targeting 3 GW of renewable energy by 2030 in the country.
