Kate Hartness’ Post

OFFSHORE WIND STOP PRESS..... Minister Bowen has just announced that 6 offshore wind feasibility licences have been granted in the Gippsland declared area. The licences were granted to High Sea Wind, Gippsland Skies, Blue Mackerel North, Kut-Wut Brataualung, Ørsted Offshore Australia 1, and Star of the South Wind Farm. 6 more bidders will be granted licences to  Iberdrola Australia OW 2 (for its Aurora Green wind farm), Greater Gippsland 2 OWP Project (Gippsland Dawn), Navigator North Project, Ørsted Offshore Australia 1 (Gippsland 02), Kent Offshore Wind, and Great Eastern Offshore Wind Farm Project Co once overlaps are resolved. 25 bidders have missed out in a 'massively oversubscribed' round of applications. Together the 12 projects will generate 25GW of electricity which is more than 10 times AGL's Loy Yang A coal-fired power plant once operational. https://lnkd.in/gERvkv2d

And then there were 12. Australia’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen MP has announced a further six feasibility licences for the Gippsland Offshore Wind Zone in Victoria: - Iberdrola Australia OW 2 Pty Ltd (Aurora Green) - Greater Gippsland 2 OWP Project Pty Ltd (Gippsland Dawn) BlueFloat Energy Australia   - Navigator North Project Pty Ltd Origin Energy and RES - Ørsted Offshore Australia 1 Pty Ltd (Gippsland 02) - Kent Offshore Wind Pty Ltd RWE - Great Eastern Offshore Wind Farm Project Co Pty Ltd. Corio Generation   Congratulations! These developers can now commence the detailed assessment work to determine feasibility, including environmental studies and management plans. Victoria's abundant offshore wind resources are among the world's best, and according to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, these projects could generate 25 GW of offshore wind energy, which is more electricity than the entire state of Victoria generated last year. At GeelongPort, we see massive potential for Geelong as a renewables hub to support Victoria’s burgeoning clean energy sector. The port is progressing plans to develop 25 hectares of land for a purpose-built wind farm construction port to meet the unique needs of offshore wind developments. Learn more about our proposed renewables terminal here: https://lnkd.in/geZdzJMG   This announcement is another exciting step forward for the offshore wind industry in Australia and Victoria. #offshorewind #renewablesindustry #renewables #netzero #windfarms #Victoria #logisitics #renewableenergy #ports

Standardisation and investment needed to unlock future of floating wind A Westwood Global Energy Group survey has revealed that accelerated investment, regulation and supply chain coordination is needed if the offshore wind sector is to meet its ambitious targets. The research, developed in partnership with Norwegian Offshore Wind and WORLD FORUM OFFSHORE WIND (WFO), surveyed 184 floating offshore wind stakeholders on industry sentiment and attitudes across the value chain. The survey revealed a lack of standardisation of floating technology (55 per cent), manufacturing capability and capacity (51 per cent) and port infrastructure (50 per cent) as the most cited major hurdles and risks to progress for floating offshore. With this, Westwood said that calls are ringing out for governments to provide more specific policy and regulatory support for technology development, in addition to cost reduction and investment in port infrastructure to accelerate adoption. It was also found that 42 per cent of European respondents were less optimistic about the floating offshore wind sector than they were two years ago, compared with 30 per cent for non-Europe. Globally, 44 per cent of developers were found to be more optimistic about the sector than two years ago, whereas that decreased to just under a quarter of supply chain respondents, potentially pointing to a lag in projects coming to tender for their services. #maritimeconnection #floatingoffshorewind #smes #ISeaSMEs https://lnkd.in/ddZaDCxB

Six potential offshore wind projects are granted feasibility licences today within Austarlia's first offshore wind zone in waters off Gippsland, VIC. The feasibility licenses allow the developers to commence detailed assessment work to determine feasibility, including environmental studies and management plans. If feasibility is proven, developers can then apply for a commercial licence to proceed with construction of the proposed project. In addition to the six grated feasibility licenses, the Australian Government intends to grant another six licenses, subject to First Nations consultation. Six granted feasibility licenses are: - High Sea Wind Pty Ltd - Gippsland Skies Pty Ltd - Blue Mackerel North Pty Ltd - Kut-Wut Brataualung Pty Ltd - Ørsted Offshore Australia 1 Pty Ltd (Gippsland 01) - Star of the South Wind Farm Pty Ltd #offshorewind #energytransition #cleanenergy #renewables #Australia #renewablesuperpower

Fantastic news today as consent is granted for the Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon offshore wind farm Extension Projects! The consent enables: - The capacity of the existing wind farms to be doubled, providing renewable energy to power an additional 785,000 UK homes 🏠 - More than 1,800 full time jobs per year to be supported during the construction phase across the UK and within East Anglia 👷♂️ 👷♀️ - Over £370 million in direct gross value added (GVA) to be generated in the UK economy The Extension Projects have been developed carefully over the last five years, with innovative approaches to transmission planning and consenting, underpinned by close engagement with the local community. Today’s decision paves a way forward in significantly contributing to the UK’s offshore wind and Net Zero targets by 2030 – read more below: https://lnkd.in/ekvrBNHY

Exciting news for all Australians, and particularly those living in the #Gippsland Renewable Energy Zone! Six innovative #offshore #wind projects this week secured feasibility licences to advance in Australia's first declared offshore wind zone in the waters off Gippsland, Victoria. This marks a significant step towards realising the region's potential of renewable wind energy. The selected projects - #HighSeaWind, Gippsland Skies, #BlueMackerelNorth, #Kut-Wut Brataualung, Ørsted Offshore Australia 1, and Star of the South Wind Farm - will now conduct detailed environmental and geotechnical assessments. This progress comes as a result of a highly competitive process, with these projects chosen from a pool of 37 applications for the 15,000 square kilometre zone. Federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen highlighted earlier this week the overwhelming market response, noting the bids received were 32 times more than the initial ask. This underscoring the significant potential for renewable energy generation in Victoria (and potentially in the other Renewable Energy Zones around Australia). This initiative propels us closer to Australia's #renewable #energy goals and is poised to create 1000s of jobs over time, contributing significantly to the local economy and sustainability efforts. As we move forward, the Australian Renewables Academy believes that the #Gippsland community must play a crucial role in shaping these developments, ensuring that its voice is integral in the planning and implementation phases. And so should be the case for the other #regional communities sitting within each #RenewableEnergyZone. https://lnkd.in/gzAWjwuk #RenewableEnergy #WindEnergy #Sustainability #Innovation #AustralianRenewablesAcademy #GippslandWindProjects

Major #setback for the #European #greenenergy #transition. The largest #offshore #wind #tender in #Danish history with a minimum of 6GW offshore wind on offer has failed - putting at #risk the #renewable #energy #transition. No #bids were received even though the first tender stage touted the establishment of 3 #windfarms in some of the most attractive #sites in the notoriously windy #NorthSea. Along with many other #governments, #Denmark has failed to acknowledge the changing #industry factors in the wind power sector such as higher #inflation, rising #interestrates and #supplychain #bottlenecks. The wind farms were put up for tender without #financial support and through the payment of a fixed annual #concession fee to the state over 30 years, combined with a state co-ownership of 20%. The idea being that the State of Denmark 🇩🇰 would become a #minority #owner in each of the tendered offshore wind farm projects. It is high time to think again about a risk-reward balance to ensure that the transition to #renewables moves forward quickly. Ensuring the #production & #supply of North Sea wind energy into the #energymix is important for the #cleanenergy transition in #Europe as well as energy #security #sustainability #climatechange #EU #GreenDeal #RenewableEnergyDirective #dkgreen #dkpol Reuters

Labour’s plans for floating offshore windfarms welcomed by industry The offshore wind and renewable energy industries in the UK have welcomed plans to be announced by the Labour Party to invest in floating offshore wind if it comes to power in the 2024 general election Responding, RenewableUK executive director of offshore wind Jane Cooper said, “The UK is a world leader in offshore wind, but development of floating wind at scale offers opportunities for us to build a far greater number of offshore windfarms in deeper waters in the Celtic Sea, off the coast of South Wales and the southwest of England. “We are delighted that Keir Starmer, Vaughan Gething, First Minister of Wales, and the Labour team are so committed to developing floating wind, and that they recognise the huge economic opportunity it offers the southwest of England and Wales, particularly if we can develop ports like Talbot and Milford Haven to ensure they are large enough to house new manufacturing and assembly facilities. Mr Starmer said it is time to “take back control of our national energy security,” pledging Great British Energy will “get Putin’s boot off our throat.” Visiting a port in North Wales, Mr Starmer will confirm that Great British Energy will invest in Britain’s growing floating offshore wind industry. Mr Starmer and Mr Gething stated that Wales “has the potential to be a world leader in the development of floating offshore wind technology,” which a recent Government-backed taskforce says could unlock up to £43Bn of GVA to the UK economy and create around 30,000 jobs by 2050. Robert Speht, CEO at Vidi Energy Group, a company working in the mass-production of floating offshore wind, said “after recent setbacks in the offshore wind sector in the UK, it is heartening to see that the huge potential for floating offshore wind in British waters and globally is starting to be recognised.” He added, “this is locally produced power, that creates local jobs and reduces CO2. That’s a win-win-win.” For more information about Vidi Energy Group’s work in the mass-production of floating offshore wind can be found at @Vidi Energy Group #offshorewind #floatingwind #windenergy #windenergie Adapted from the original article by rivieramm. com https://lnkd.in/ePf4tNGJ

Are you a manufacturer based in Wales or the South West and looking to tap into the offshore wind sector? Research from The Crown Estate indicates that developing new floating wind farms in the Celtic Sea, off the coast of South Wales and South West England, could create up to 5,300 new jobs and add £1.4bn to the UK economy. This burgeoning industry will require a whole a host of products and services. RenewableUK, the Offshore Wind Industry Council, and The Crown Estate, in collaboration with the Celtic Sea Cluster, are hosting a regional roadshow to help businesses scale up for the offshore wind opportunity.   Hear from experts and gain valuable insight about the funding available.   𝟮 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆: 𝟭𝟬-𝟮𝗽𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗮 𝗔𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗮 🔗Sign up here to attend https://ow.ly/f9vW50Si6WU 𝟯 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆: 𝟭𝟬-2𝗽𝗺 𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘆 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸, 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 🔗 Sign up here to attend https://ow.ly/tX6G50Si6WW #wind #offshorewind #supplychain #southwest #wales

🧐 Interested to see how the Gunaikurnai are involved in the consenting process and EIA’s for the Gippsland feasibility OW plans over the next 12-24 months. 🇦🇺 Unsure if the proposed IPA Plan in the area stretches far enough but, it would be a good framework to consider when supporting the First Nations cultural values and the identification of threats to those values. 🌏 The preservation of cultural heritage and values and the commitment to working with onshore communities, particularly where there are indigenous and spiritual connections to the land and seascape, is as important as any financial or feasibility constraint when considering a development. Whilst discussing the EIA’s for all the proposed development sites in AUS… The survey/geo investigations and impact assessments are going to be huge pieces of work to land!! 🤯 #australianwind #ausauction #ausoffshorewind #australia #netzero #offshorewind #feasibility #culturalheritage #culturalpreservation #onshorecommunities #eia #consenting