VicGrid, an agency of the Australian state of Victoria, has invited expressions of interest from potential partners who will help build and operate a 2 GW transmission system which will transport electricity generated by future offshore wind farms in Gippsland to the state grid.
“VicGrid is looking for an industry partner to help it deliver the transmission needed for Victoria’s new offshore wind industry”, Victoria’s Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) said on 10 December. “The successful applicant will work with VicGrid on designing, building, financing, operating and maintaining the new onshore transmission infrastructure.”
Construction of the (onshore) transmission system is expected to begin in late 2027 and the new line is scheduled to enter operation in 2030.
The deadline for the submission of expressions of interest for the project is 13 February 2025 at 14:00 AET.
The transmission project to connect Gippsland offshore wind energy to the Victorian grid is subject to an Environmental Effects Statement (EES) process which is currently underway. The process involves a thorough investigation of potential social, agricultural, environmental, and economic impacts, according to DEECA.
VicGrid shared a map of the study area and connection hub area in March this year. The study area will be narrowed to a preferred corridor following on-the-ground studies and consultation with landholders, community, First Peoples and technical stakeholders, according to information at DEECA.
The new high-voltage transmission link would be a double-circuit HVAC overhead transmission line capable of transferring 2 GW of energy generated by offshore wind farms and would become part of Victoria’s transmission network, the Declared Shared Network (DSN).
The transmission line would connect the proposed VicGrid connection hub in the area of Giffard with the inland grid connection point near the Loy Yang Power Station, according to the project outline released earlier.
Victoria has set a target of at least 2 GW of offshore wind energy by 2032, raising this up to 4 GW by 2035 and 9 GW by 2040.
This year, the Australian federal government granted feasibility licences for the Gippsland Offshore Wind Zone to twelve proposed offshore wind projects which together have a potential installed capacity of 25 GW.
The project that was the first to be proposed in Victoria, Star of the South, recently announced that it had completed feasibility studies and consultations, and revealed several project design updates, including the reduction of the initially planned number of turbines from 200 to 150.