Ørsted and JERA Nex BP have applied for federal environmental approval under Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act for their Gippsland 1 and Blue Mackerel offshore wind projects, respectively.
According to information on the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water’s (DCCEEW) website, the developers’ applications, comprising Environmental Impact Statements (EIS), are now open for public comment.
The applications follow that for the Star of the South offshore wind farm, for which an EIS was lodged under the EPBC Act in December 2025.
Ørsted and JERA Nex BP secured seven-year feasibility licences for their projects in April 2024, with Australia’s Offshore Infrastructure Regulator (OIR) approving the projects’ feasibility stage management plans at the beginning of 2025.
In December last year, JERA Nex BP’s Blue Mackerel offshore wind farm was also awarded Major Project Status (MPS) by the federal government.
Off Gippsland, Ørsted is developing two wind projects with a potential total capacity of 4.8 GW, Gippsland 1 and Gippsland 2, located 56-100 kilometres offshore.
The company’s application for environmental review is for Gippsland 1, a 2.8 GW offshore wind farm with up to 200 wind turbines. According to the application, the project could be built in phases.
Located approximately 10 kilometres off the Gippsland coast, JERA Nex BP’s Blue Mackerel is planned to have up to 70 wind turbines and an installed capacity of 1 GW.