Australian 2.2 Gigawatt Offshore Wind Farm Takes Crucial Next Step
Plans for a mammoth 2.2 gigawatt (GW) offshore wind farm off the southern coast of Australia have taken a crucial step forward this month after the developers announced a partnership to conduct a market study on the availability of the required labour and vessel resources.
The 2.2 GW Star of the South offshore wind farm, backed by Danish fund management company Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, has been proposed for the southeastern coast of Australia, off the Gippsland coast of Victoria, the country’s southern-most mainland state. With a potential to generate electricity for the equivalent of as many as 1.2 million households, the Star of the South could play a major part in Victoria’s drive away from fossil fuels.
Star of the South announced earlier this month that it had signed a partnership with international HR service provider Atlas Professionals to jointly conduct a market study on the availability of the required labor and vessel resources for the project. The study will analyze the labor requirements for the Star of the South project during the development, construction, and maintenance phases of the project, and will also analyze the future availability of required labor and the necessity to upgrade and/or train available workers.
The report will also focus on the requirements for specialist vessels during the development, construction, and maintenance phases of the project.
“We are excited to work together with Star of the South and be part of the development of Australia’s first offshore wind project,” said Edgare Kerkwijk, Strategic Director Renewables APAC at Atlas Professionals. “Since starting our renewable energy activities earlier this year, we have managed to get engagements in Australia, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Japan. This is evidence that the regional offshore wind market is growing rapidly and the need for skilled manpower is growing equally fast.”
The Star of the South project has been in development since 2012 and will likely be in development for a while longer. In December of 2018 Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners partnered with local developer Offshore Energy to help develop the project. And in March of this year, the Australian Government approved a deed of license to the developers to undertake resource exploration.
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