Australia’s first offshore wind farm gains ground

Progress continues on Australia’s ground-breaking 2GW Star of the South offshore wind energy farm, with contracts signed for the design of the project’s onshore transmission network and grid connection.

Star of the South said via LinkedIn that it has appointed WSP in Australia to help design the project’s onshore grid integration system – the all-important bit that allows the electricity generated by the turbines in the sea to power homes on land.

The massive project, while still in the very early stages of development, proposes to install 2000MW (2GW) of wind turbines in Commonwealth waters 8-13 kilometres offshore from Port Albert, Victoria. It is being co-developed by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, one of the world’s leading offshore wind and infrastructure developers.

The plan has been to link the wind farm to existing transmission infrastructure at the nearby Latrobe Valley – Victoria’s coal power generation hub and home to the now-closed Hazelwood coal-fired power station.