CIP to play part in Australia’s first offshore windfarm project

Danish fund manager Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) will assist Australian developer Offshore Energy to deliver the country’s first offshore windfarm.

The AU$8 billion (US$6 billion) Star of the South project is to be located between 10 and 25 kilometres off the south coast of Gippsland, Victoria, and is expected to have a capacity of up to 2GW.

Offshore Energy was established in 2012 to explore the potential for offshore wind in Australia, with input from federal and state governments.

It said Star of the South would comprise up to 250 turbines, connected at depths between 20 metres and 40 metres to shore via four 500MW high-voltage transmission cables to the Latrobe Valley, about 150 kilometres east of Melbourne.

The project would involve the upgrade and expansion of nearby port facilities, construction of at least two offshore substations and a network of cables to connect the turbines.

The project is named after a 19th century passenger ship that travelled from the UK to the region.