The Appraisal of Offshore Wind Power in Australia

This article discusses the feasibility of an offshore wind farm in Victoria, Australia, and the challenges it faces in competing with onshore projects. It also highlights the potential benefits of the project and the environmental issues that need to be addressed. The proposed 250-turbine project off the Gippsland coast could generate up to 40% of the power needed to meet the Labor Government’s Renewable Energy Target by 2025. However, the lack of native turbine makers or established suppliers and the threat of earthquakes and cyclones pose significant challenges to the project.

The Appraisal of offshore wind power in
Australia
• An offshore wind farm unveiled in the state of
Victoria faces the problem of immense
competition from onshore projects.
• The development would involvement
assessment of the wind resource available
taking into account the environmental issues
that have to be addressed before the
commencement of the project.
• Lack of native makers of turbines or an
established supplier makes it hard for offshore
generation to gain competitive advantage
(Thomsen 2014, p. 322).
• Offshore Energy, a private developer, proposed
to conduct a feasibility study that would bring
a 250-turbine project 25 kilometers off
Gippsland coast which is at the southeast of
the state of Victoria.
• The move was highly welcome by the
government of Victoria which believed it
would lower the cost of electricity making
energy more affordable.
• The project would generate to the tune of 40%
of the power to the Labor Government’s
Renewable Energy Target by 2025 (Association
2012, p. 566).
• Earthquakes and cyclones are the main threats
to the development if this project bearing
their level of frequency in Australia

References
Association, EWE 2012, Wind Energy - The Facts: A Guide to the Technology, Economics and Future of Wind
Power, 3rd edn, Routledge, Washington DC.
Thomsen, K 2014, Offshore Wind: A Comprehensive Guide to Successful Offshore Wind Farm Installation, 2nd
edn, Academic Press, New York.