Community

Large turbines are constructed out at sea, where winds are the strongest. The wind turns the blades of a turbine around the rotor, which spins inside of a generator, creating electricity. The electricity is then sent to a substation and then back to shore through cables and into the energy grid to be used to power homes and businesses.

Offshore wind will deliver a range of social, economic and environmental benefits. Offshore wind will create thousands of jobs during construction and employ hundreds of people in ongoing roles. Local investment will result in additional jobs in support services including transport and hospitality. Offshore wind is one of the fastest growing renewable energy technologies worldwide. It will help Victoria reach its emissions reduction target of net zero by 2045.

Australia has both abundant land for onshore wind and world-class wind speeds off many of its coasts. It is anticipated that offshore wind will complement other renewable technologies and allow the development of projects much closer to large coastal populations.

Out at sea the wind is stronger and more consistent, meaning the turbines can generate more energy than turbines on land. Offshore wind turbines can also be larger than the turbines used on land, meaning more energy can be captured.

For Australia to achieve its net zero target, we will need a mix of renewable energy sources including both onshore and offshore wind.

The Australian Government identified six areas as potentially suitable for offshore wind. Three of these areas have been declared as offshore wind zones; one off the coast of Gippsland in Victoria, another off the Hunter coast in New South Wales and a third off the coast of southwest Victoria.

Three other potential zones are being considered off the Illawarra coast in New South Wales, the north coast of Tasmania and south of Perth in Western Australia.

The Gippsland offshore wind zone was declared by the Australian Government in 2022. This area was determined to be suitable for offshore wind because:

• It’s extremely windy! The wind off the coast of Gippsland is some of the strongest and most consistent in the world.

• It is located close to the existing transmission infrastructure in the Latrobe Valley.

Gippsland Dawn Offshore Wind Project is located within this declared zone. In June 2024 the Australian Energy Minister awarded Gippsland Dawn a feasibility licence to assess the suitability of the proposed site area for an offshore wind project.

Gippsland Dawn Offshore Wind Project is 100 per cent owned by BlueFloat Energy.  BlueFloat Energy is a European-based developer with projects across ten countries. We have a growing team in Australia, including team members in Gippsland.

The only way we can build an entire industry is if we work together. As we progress through the feasibility phase, we will seek to coordinate activities such as community engagement and supply chain development with other offshore wind developers where possible.

VicGrid is responsible for developing the transmission infrastructure that will connect offshore wind projects in Gippsland into the electricity grid.

Electricity generated by the project will come onshore via an underground cable that will continue underground to the VicGrid connection hub.

You can stay up to date with VicGrid’s shared transmission project in Gippsland here.  

This is still to be determined as we work through feasibility studies for the project. We will need to conduct a range of environmental, social, economic, cultural heritage and technical assessments to find the most suitable place for the cables to cross the shore.

The cables will come ashore underneath the sand dunes using ‘horizontal directional drilling’. An underground cable will then run underground to the shared transmission connection hub developed by VicGrid.  

A 15 MW turbine would generate enough electricity each year to meet the needs of over 7,000 households.  Gippsland Dawn will produce up to 2,100 MW, which means that the project could generate enough electricity to power around 1 million homes and businesses.

Today a typical offshore wind farm uses 10-14 megawatt (MW) turbines.  As the technology develops, the size of turbines will increase. We anticipate that each turbine used for the project will be between 15-22 MW. This will be determined during the feasibility phase of the project.  

It is anticipated that each turbine used for Gippsland Dawn will be between 260–325 metres high. The turbine rotor will have a diameter of approximately 235–275 metres. As the technology develops, the size of turbines will increase. We anticipate that each turbine used for the project will be between 15–22 MW. This will be determined during the feasibility phase of the project.

In June 2024, Minister Bowen announced a feasibility licence for Gippsland Dawn.  This licence allows us to conduct technical and environmental studies within the proposed area to determine whether it is suitable for offshore wind.

It is anticipated 4–5 years of feasibility activities will be undertaken before a commercial licence is sought, subject to receiving environmental approvals. The feasibility licence term lasts for a maximum of 7 years.

A commercial licence will enable the construction of the project, which will take approximately two years. The project will operate for up to 30 years and the infrastructure will then be decommissioned.

At this stage, it is anticipated that the offshore structures (such as the turbines, offshore substations and electric cables) will be removed as part of the decommissioning process at the end of the project’s life. Onshore underground cables and any above-ground infrastructure would also be removed.

Requirements for decommissioning will be conditions of the environment and planning approvals for the project.

Currently, around 90% of a wind turbine can be recycled. The tower of the wind turbine is made of steel, and the blades are currently made of glass or carbon fibre-reinforced polymer composites (similar to the material that many boats are made from). The electrical components within the turbine are primarily made of metals such as steel, copper and aluminium which can be reused.

The wind industry is constantly developing new solutions to improve the recyclability of the blades and other components as this is an important issue. The Australian Government has recently backed plans to invest up to $6.3 million in a cooperative project to assist in the recycling of wind turbine blades.