Michelle Slater
STAR of the South, Australia’s proposed first offshore wind project, has reached an “important milestone” by revealing its overland transmission route to plug in a two gigawatt offshore wind farm from Bass Strait into the Latrobe Valley.
Star of the South chief development officer Erin Coldham said they had spent the past 12 months looking at three potential routes, before settling on the most technically feasible option.
The proposed route would come ashore at Reeves Beach and travel underground through Darriman, Giffard West and Hiamdale, and connect to either Hazelwood or Loy Yang.
Ms Coldham said this route would now be taken through to detailed planning, approvals and design stages with more community consultation.
She said they had chosen the route after discussions with landholders, who she promised would be offered “voluntary agreements” with the company.
“We have confirmed the route we will take to detailed planning and design,” Ms Coldham said.
“On balance, the route we’ve selected for further investigation is the best overall outcome and we’re working with landholders whose property may be suitable to host the underground cables.”
Ms Coldham said the company had rejected other options which posed technical constraints or impacts on marine and state forest environments.
She said the proposed corridor would be about three kilometres wide with a 40-metre easement, using underground cables.
Overhead lines would be used where it was not technically feasible or where they would have a lower impact.
Star of the South is also talking to the Australian Energy Market Operators about grid connections, and which option would offer the best capacity.
“The great thing about the Latrobe Valley is there is a lot of capacity, since Hazelwood retired in 2017 and now Yallourn will exit in mid-2028; we feel there is the capacity there,” Ms Coldham said.
“It’s just a matter of which projects come in and out over the coming years; this can effect where we will connect.”
The offshore wind farm is proposed to be located seven to 25km off the south coast of Gippsland near towns such as Port Albert, McLoughlins Beach and Woodside Beach, and is in its early feasibility phase with site investigations and environmental studies underway.
Turbines would be installed out at sea and spaced apart to allow room for boats to navigate through.
The project includes a transmission network of cables and substations to connect the offshore wind farm to the Latrobe Valley.
Proponents say the project has the potential to supply up to 20 per of Victoria’s electricity needs, while creating jobs and investment.
Ms Coldham said the estimated $10 billion dollar project could offer thousands of local jobs in construction and turbine maintenance.
She said the number of jobs would depend on the ultimate size of the project, and they hoped to begin construction by the middle of the decade.
A webinar was held on Thursday, while community sessions will be held on this Saturday, March 27, at the Woodside Beach Surf Life Saving Club from 9am to 11am, and Yarram Memorial Park from 1pm to 3pm.
To register, visit www.starofthesouth.com.au/community.
