Onshore and Offshore Surveys Wrap Up at Australia’s First Offshore Wind Farm

Two wind measurement devices, called floating LiDARs, have been retrieved and inspected after two and a half years of collecting wind data at the proposed Star of the South offshore wind project site in Australia, with the ground investigations wrapping up as well along the project’s proposed transmission route.

The wind data collected by the two floating LiDARs confirmed that the proposed project area experiences strong and consistent winds and is a suitable location for generating electricity from the wind, according to Star of the South.

The LiDARs, deployed back in 2019, were assessed by the project’s marine specialists to see what had grown on the buoys during their time on the water. This provides extra data for the team to understand the local marine environment, Star of the South said.

Star of the South procured LiDAR wind and wave monitoring buoys from France-based Akrocean in 2019, while TEK-Ocean was responsible for the installation, maintenance work, and retrieval of the LiDARs.

Meanwhile, the ground investigations along the project’s proposed transmission route have been completed as well.

Since April, engineering consultants Douglas Partners collected more than 1,100 soil samples from more than 150 sites with the support of Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation which advised on cultural heritage, and Kiernan Plant Hire which supplied excavators and haulage equipment.

Laboratory testing of the samples is ongoing while the findings will assist in designing the project’s underground transmission system.

Located off Gippsland’s south coast in the Bass Strait, the Star of the South offshore wind farm is planned to have up to 200 wind turbines and an installed capacity of 2.2 GW.

If it proceeds to construction, the wind farm would be able to power up to 1.2 million Victorian homes with clean energy, meeting up to 20 per cent of the Australian state’s electricity needs.

At the beginning of March, the Victorian Government announced a plan to build up to 9 GW of offshore wind by 2040 and to have the first offshore wind-generated electricity flow in 2028.

Star of the South, the first and most progressed offshore wind project in Victoria, is being developed to deliver clean energy to the grid by 2028.

Along with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Cbus, the project is also owned by Australian Founders – Terry Kallis, Andy Evans and Peter Sgardelis.

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