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The Victorian government has postponed its first offshore wind auction, which was originally set to launch in September, according to Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio.
Victoria has set a target of at least 2 GW of offshore wind energy by 2032, raising this up to 4 GW by 2035 and 9 GW by 2040.
Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio reaffirmed Victoria’s commitment to offshore wind energy but said the decision to delay the auction was due to several reasons, including setbacks in the approval of feasibility licences, the rejection of the initial referral for the Port of Hastings, and global uncertainty.
“While our aspiration was to have those preconditions in place by the end of September, and great effort has gone into attempting to achieve this, it has not been possible. As a result, today, I am disappointed to announce that Victoria will be delaying the formal procurement process for our first offshore wind auction. However, we will provide an update on the option timeline by the end of this year,” said D’Ambrosio.
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Australian Gov’t Rejects Port of Hastings Wind Terminal Project, Tasmanian Gov’t Proposes Port of Bell Bay
On 16 September, the Australian government announced that it would make temporary changes to annual levies, application fees, reporting, and capital requirements to support early-stage projects as the industry matures.
The requirement for licence holders to have funds in place for at least 150 per cent of the estimated cost of their project activities for the next twelve months is being reduced.
Charles Rattray, chief executive of Southerly Ten, the developer of the Star of the South offshore wind project, said that the company would keep working with the local community and the government, despite the deferral.