Southerly Ten charts course for offshore wind jobs and growth
1 May 2024
The team behind Star of the South, Australia’s most advanced offshore wind project, has secured two of the country’s first feasibility licences, paving the way for increased jobs and investment in Australia’s clean energy future.
The Australian Government today unveiled the successful licence recipients following a detailed assessment of applications submitted for the Gippsland offshore wind zone last year.
Both projects are being progressed by Southerly Ten – a specialist offshore wind developer unveiled today by the team behind Star of the South and leading global fund manager, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP). CIP has established Southerly Ten to unlock the energy, climate and economic benefits of offshore wind in Australia and New Zealand.
Southerly Ten’s two successful Gippsland projects include:
Star of the South – a 2.2 GW project within a 586 km2 area located at least 10 kilometres off the Gippsland coast, between Port Albert and Woodside Beach. CIP has been progressing Star of the South since 2017 together with its partner Cbus Super and Australian founders.
Kut-Wut Brataualung – a 2.2 GW project within a 689 km2 area located 45 kilometres from the southern-most tip of Wilsons Promontory. The project is named in partnership with the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Corporation (GLaWAC) recognising a family group of the Brataualung peoples that lived in and around the Toora area.
Built to their full potential, the two projects would power more than 2.4 million homes, inject $14 billion into the Australian economy, including up to $7 billion in the Gippsland region, and create up to 12,000 jobs over the life of the projects, including hundreds of ongoing long-term Gippsland-based jobs during 30 years of operations.
Southerly Ten’s Chief Executive Officer, Charles Rattray, welcomed the licence announcements as a critical next step for driving near term jobs and investment in Gippsland and the Latrobe Valley.
“These licences signal that Australia is open for business and open to the economic opportunities offshore wind can provide for our regional communities,” he said.
“Star of the South is already well progressed – we've studied this area for five years under an Exploration Licence and know it’s in a location with strong winds, ideal sea depths and suitable seabed conditions.
“Kut-Wut Brataualung is at an earlier stage, so our first steps will be to study the wind and local environment and build a really comprehensive understanding of that specific area, while consulting with local Gippsland communities.”
A feasibility licence is the first approval needed to start investigating and planning an offshore wind farm, while further approvals are needed to proceed to construction, incorporating years of community and stakeholder engagement as projects work through the different development stages.
Southerly Ten is powered by investment from Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) - the world’s largest fund manager dedicated to greenfield renewable energy investments and a global leader in offshore wind.
Head of CIP Australia, Jørn Hammer, said Southerly Ten will lead the development and delivery of CIP's local offshore wind portfolio.
“CIP was an early believer in Australia’s offshore wind potential, proudly working with our partner Cbus, local communities, government and industry to kick-start an offshore wind industry.” he said.
“We’re excited to move forward with Southerly Ten to explore more opportunities to bring investment, jobs and energy to regional Australia and New Zealand.”
The name Southerly Ten reflects the company’s dedicated focus on Australia and New Zealand, and its aspiration to deliver ten gigawatts of new offshore wind capacity across the region.
Southerly Ten is also pursuing a feasibility licence in the Hunter region for its Destiny Wind project, with a focus on early community and stakeholder engagement to understand local views and opportunities.
Mr Rattray acknowledged the long road ahead for offshore wind projects to become a reality, while noting the urgency to get large scale, renewable energy power into the grid as existing power generators retire from the market.
“Offshore wind will play a vital role alongside other forms of generation in giving households and businesses the secure, reliable electricity they need and deserve,” he said.
“Victoria has a legislated offshore wind target of 2 GW by 2032 and up to 9 GW by 2040 so we don’t have a moment to lose in getting on with the next steps to meet those goals and avoid major shocks to the energy market over the coming decade.”
About Southerly Ten
Southerly Ten is a specialist offshore wind energy developer for Australia and New Zealand, from the team behind Star of the South and backed by CIP. We bring unmatched commitment and capability to our mission - to advance a local offshore wind industry and leave a positive legacy of clean energy for future generations. www.southerlyten.com.au
About Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP)
Southerly Ten is powered by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), the world’s largest fund manager dedicated to greenfield renewable energy investments and a global leader in offshore wind. CIP partners with superannuation funds worldwide, including Cbus Super and NZ Super, to build worker’s retirement nest eggs with investments that support the global energy transition. CIP invests for impact, with a goal to deploy more than $150 billion equity to reduce global carbon emissions by 1% by 2030. www.cip.com