Project overview
Star of the South is proposed to be located off the south coast of Gippsland in Victoria. We’re in the project development phase, seeking approvals to bring offshore wind online this decade.
Powering homes across the state
If developed to its full potential, Star of the South would generate up to 2.2 GW of new capacity, powering around 1.2 million homes across the state.
Offshore wind would complement other forms of electricity generation to create a more reliable system.
We’ve been exploring the potential for offshore wind in Bass Strait under an Exploration Licence, since 2019.
We’ve applied for a Feasibility Licence to continue developing the project, with an outcome expected this year.
It typically takes around 10 years to develop an offshore wind project.
Power generation
The offshore wind farm is proposed to be located off the south coast of Gippsland near towns such as Port Albert, McLoughlins Beach and Woodside Beach.
Under a 2019 Exploration Licence, we’ve explored the potential for offshore wind in Bass Strait.
Designing the wind farm
A well-designed wind farm catches more wind to generate electricity.
A design for Star of the South will be developed over several years, considering:
wind conditions
seabed conditions
the environment
future energy needs
other users of the sea
existing infrastructure
safety, regulations and requirements.
Electricity transmission
A transmission system of cables and substations will connect the offshore wind farm to the grid.
VicGrid is the government agency responsible for delivering new transmission infrastructure.
With multiple offshore wind projects proposed in Gippsland, VicGrid is developing shared transmission for projects to connect in to.
We’ve been working on a transmission system for Star of the South since 2019, including undertaking environmental, technical and land investigations along the proposed route. A lot has changed since we started this work.
VicGrid released a study area for a shared transmission system in Gippsland in March 2024. We're reviewing this information now to understand what it means for Star of the South.
Ports
Ports play an important role in offshore wind project construction and operations – this is where a lot of the action happens.
We’ve been investigating port options for Star of the South.
Construction ports need to have deep water with suitable facilities and available land. We expect to use multiple ports during construction, and we're looking at a range of options that could support the project.
Barry Beach Marine Terminal and Port Anthony are both good options to host our Gippsland Operations Base, where workers managing day-to-day wind farm construction and operations activities would be based – creating around 200 long-term local jobs over more than 30 years.