Southern Ocean region off Victoria, declared offshore wind area

Australian Government: Notice of Proposal to Declare an Area 25 August 2023
Southern Ocean Region off Victoria and South Australia

Introduction
BlueFloat Energy makes this submission to the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change,
Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) in response to the release of the Notice of Proposal
to Declare an Area in the Southern Ocean Region off Victoria and South Australia.

This submission has been lodged via the Consultation Hub and via email:
offshorerenewables@industry.gov.au.

About BlueFloat Energy
BlueFloat Energy is a nimble and fast-growing offshore wind developer shaping the global energy
transformation by bringing scaled decarbonisation solutions to new markets. As a company, we are
at the forefront of the emerging global market for offshore wind and have a global team with
extensive knowledge and experience in developing fixed and floating offshore wind projects. Our
offshore wind development portfolio currently includes projects in ten countries, with over 33 GW
of planned capacity.

In Australia, BlueFloat Energy is developing four projects. These are the Greater Gippsland and
Southern Winds Offshore Wind Projects off the coast of Victoria and South Australia and the South
Pacific and Eastern Rise Offshore Wind Projects off the coast of NSW. The Southern Winds Offshore
Wind Project is located in the proposed Southern Ocean Region offshore renewable energy zone
which is currently open for consultation. The location of the site is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Southern Winds Offshore Wind Project site location

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THE COMMONS, 11 WILSON STREET, SOUTH YARRA 3141
The Southern Winds Offshore Wind Project is located between Cape Douglas in South Australia and
Nelson in Victoria. The offshore wind turbines and substations are located approximately 10 – 20 kilometres from the coast. The Project involves 77 fixed-foundation turbines, two offshore substations and associated infrastructure with the capacity to generate up to 1.155 gigawatts of electricity. The Project is in discussions with VicGrid to determine the best transmission option.

Our Submission
BlueFloat Energy strongly supports the Commonwealth Government’s proposed declaration of a
Southern Ocean Region offshore renewable energy zone and the progress that the Commonwealth
Government is making in establishing an offshore wind industry in Australia.

The following points are made in relation to the Notice of Proposal:

Suitability of the Southern Ocean Region
The Southern Ocean Region offshore renewable energy zone has a strong and reliable wind resource, proximity to a deep-water port (Port of Portland), is nearby the existing 500kV transmission network and can access an existing regional skills base.

As the Australian economy continues to decarbonise and renewable energy replaces fossil fuel power generation, offshore wind energy projects will have the capacity to generate large scale renewable energy. Offshore wind has higher capacity factors and a different generation profile compared to onshore wind and solar energy and can be located to access existing transmission infrastructure.

The region is home to the Portland Aluminium Smelter, Victoria’s largest single exporter, and is a key industrial region for the state. Wind tower manufacturer, Keppel Prince is located in Portland and
Mount Gambier, Warrnambool and Portland all have significant heavy engineering and industrial businesses.

The region also hosts significant onshore wind capacity in the Victorian South West Renewable
Energy Zone (REZ) as well as in south-east of South Australia The development of an offshore wind industry in and around this region will build on the existing skills base and industrial legacy, providing the opportunity for the local workforce and businesses and new workers to diversify skills and trades to build offshore renewable energy generation.

There will be opportunities to support local employment and retain local skills as well as attract new workers and businesses to the region across both Victoria and South Australia. Manufacturing companies and associated infrastructure, such as the Port of Portland, can invest and develop facilities in the region to support the development of offshore wind projects providing further regional jobs and economic growth. With broader industry and government support, there are significant opportunities for offshore wind developers to maximise local employment, support training and skills development, utilise local goods and services and foster regional economic development in this region.

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THE COMMONS, 11 WILSON STREET, SOUTH YARRA 3141
Proposed Zone Area
BlueFloat Energy supports the Southern Ocean area marked as ‘under consideration’. A clearly defined zone to support offshore renewable projects is essential if Australia is to achieve a timely transition to net zero, and for the continued stable operation of the National Electricity Market.

BlueFloat Energy notes that the area proposed largely consists of water depths greater than 70 meters, meaning fixed foundation projects will be limited and floating foundation technology will need to be deployed in the deeper waters.

Co-existence with Existing Users
BlueFloat Energy supports and commends DCCEEW on releasing the Marine Users, Interests and the
Environment – Southern Ocean Region document along with the other consultation documents.

Offshore renewable energy projects sharing the proposed offshore area and co-existing with other users is critical to ensure all marine user and stakeholder interests are recognised.

Project infrastructure can be sited around exclusion zones and avoid existing key infrastructure to enable the complementary operation of offshore wind projects with other existing and proposed users of the zone.

As an offshore wind developer, BlueFloat Energy will work collaboratively with other marine users, including commercial and recreational fishing groups and boaters, tourism operators, shipping companies, other licence holders, environmental groups, research and study organisations and any other users of the declared zone to manage co-existence of activities within and around project areas.

Stakeholder, Traditional Owner and Community Engagement Support
As the offshore wind industry emerges, close engagement with stakeholders and communities is crucial. Commonwealth and State government support and assistance towards developers and industry participants engaging with communities to ensure consistent and transparent communication across all proposed projects is welcomed. This will enable the industry to achieve broad community acceptance for the development of major infrastructure across Australia.

BlueFloat Energy also recognises that the proposed offshore renewable energy area is located on the
Land and Sea Country of the Traditional Owners of the region – the Gunditjmara, Eastern Maar, and the First Nations of the South East in South Australia.

In order for an offshore wind industry to develop in Australia, recognition and ongoing consultations with Traditional Owners must be initiated from the beginning. As such, we encourage government support for engagement with Traditional Owner Groups and recognise the need to ensure First
Nations people can benefit from these developments.

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THE COMMONS, 11 WILSON STREET, SOUTH YARRA 3141
Conclusion
Thank you for the opportunity to make this submission and we would be pleased to engage in further discussions. Please do not hesitate to contact the undersigned.

Yours sincerely,

Nick Sankey
Country Manager, BlueFloat Energy nsankey@bluefloat.com

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THE COMMONS, 11 WILSON STREET, SOUTH YARRA 3141