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Offshore wind energy will play an important role in Victoria’s energy transition. Victoria has some of the best offshore wind resources in the world.
New transmission lines will be needed to connect offshore wind energy to Victoria’s power grid.
Offshore wind in Victoria
The Victorian Government has set ambitious offshore wind energy generation capacity targets:
- at least 2 gigawatts (GW) by 2032
- 4 GW by 2035
- 9 GW by 2040.
New transmission infrastructure will play a crucial role in meeting the first offshore wind capacity target of at least 2 GW by 2032 – enough to power 1.5 million homes.
VicGrid is leading a coordinated approach to transmission infrastructure development for offshore wind generation in Gippsland and the declared Southern Ocean area.
Offshore wind transmission in Gippsland
In 2022, the Federal Government declared an area off the coast of Gippsland as Australia’s first offshore wind area.
VicGrid is developing the shared transmission line to connect offshore wind energy generated off the Gippsland coast to the grid. View our interactive map of the Gippsland transmission line study area.
Without a shared transmission line, offshore wind energy developers would develop multiple, private transmission lines.
We want to avoid the spaghetti effect of powerlines criss-crossing the landscape and reduce impacts on people’s homes and livelihoods.
Our coordination will also ensure we can keep down costs for consumers and minimise impacts on the environment.
Read more about offshore wind transmission in Gippsland.
Offshore wind transmission in the declared Southern Ocean area
VicGrid acknowledges the Commonwealth Government’s decision to declare a second offshore wind area off the Victorian coast in the Southern Ocean region. VicGrid will now take time to assess the implications of this announcement and the area that has been identified.
Further updates regarding the declared area and engagement with communities in South West Victoria will be made in due course.
How will VicGrid coordinate transmission development?
Place-based engagement
Early engagement with communities and landholders is our priority. New transmission infrastructure is crucial to Victoria’s energy future, but we recognise that it also has impacts for host communities and landholders.
We are committed to giving locals a real voice in the planning process and to providing them with information and support throughout the process. Community and landholder feedback informed our decision-making by incorporating local knowledge and priorities in the criteria we used to assess options.
And we’re making our decisions transparent by publishing our preferred options and the methodology supporting our decision, including how we responded to the important questions raised through consultation.
Partnering with First Peoples
We are committed to partnering with First Peoples, embedding self-determination outcomes in our business practices, and ensuring First Peoples have a say in how their communities benefit from this infrastructure.
More information
Visit Engage Victoria to learn more about the process.
Offshore wind developers and industry participants can find out more about access arrangements and the Government’s expectations of developers on our industry page.
Page last updated: 22/04/24
