- The Australian parliament has passed legislation to scale offshore wind generation.
- The legislation will set up a regulatory framework for offshore development.
The Australian parliament has passed legislation aimed at accelerating the development of the offshore wind energy industry. The legislation will set up a regulatory framework for constructing, operating, and decommissioning offshore electricity infrastructure in the Commonwealth offshore area.
The government believes that the adopted regulations would speed up projects currently under development, including the Marinus Link transmission line between the mainland and Tasmania’s Battery of the Nation project, the Star of the South wind farm off the coast of Gippsland, Victoria, and Sun Cable, which will export renewable energy from Australia to Singapore. According to energy minister Angus Taylor, “the Morrison Government’s offshore electricity infrastructure package will unlock the development of a new industry that will create thousands of skilled regional jobs, strengthen our economy, and support a more affordable and secure energy system.”
The government of Victoria has already said it will award AUD40 million for three offshore wind projects off the state’s coastline. The projects will add 4.7GW of wind capacity.