The Australian Government has begun public consultations on draft regulations for an offshore electricity infrastructure (OEI) framework that will allow the development of offshore electricity infrastructure, including offshore wind farms and power transmission projects, in Commonwealth waters.
The country’s first OEI framework is provided by legislation passed in late 2021 when the Australian Parliament approved a package of new laws, including the Offshore Power Infrastructure Bill 2021, which allows the government to designate areas in Commonwealth waters and associated offshore power infrastructure (regulatory fees). ) A 2021 bill that allows fees to be levied on regulated entities to recover the costs of regulation.
The draft OEI rules set out important mechanisms to get things started, including a licensing scheme, fees and charges, the government said, saying that this legislative framework will encourage investment in offshore renewable energy projects.
Launched on March 22 and lasting for 30 days, this is the first phase of the framework consultation whereby the government solicits proposals for drafts of the Offshore Electricity Regulations 2022, the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure (Regulatory Fees) Regulations 2022 and the Recovery Implementation Cost Statement.
The Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Act 2021 and the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure (Regulatory Fees) Act 2021 will go into effect June 2, 2022, according to information on the Australian Department of Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction website.
“Today’s release of supporting regulations for the offshore power infrastructure legislative framework marks an important next step in supporting the emerging offshore industry in Australia.”said Angus TaylorMinister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction of Australia.
it’s the same accelerate existing projects such as Star of the South and the Marinus Link transmission linewhich will connect the mainland to the Battery of the Nation project in Tasmania, according to Minister Taylor.
Star of the South, Australia’s first offshore wind project, welcomed the start of the latest consultation process, saying it is a good sign that the government is serious about promoting offshore wind development.
“We welcome the first phase of the regulations and acknowledge the extensive work the Australian government has done to date – that’s great progress.”– said the “Star of the South”. “We look forward to being part of the government consultation process to provide feedback on timely, relevant and well-organized regulations and oversight.”
A 2.2 GW offshore wind farm is proposed to be built off the south coast of Gippsland in Victoria.
Along with the most advanced project, there are several other plans for offshore wind power in Australian waters.
In December 2021, Australian renewable energy company Alinta Energy unveiled plans to build a 1,000 MW wind farm off the coast of Portland in southwest Victoria that will power the Portland aluminum smelter and the east coast grid.
In the same month, Spanish company BlueFloat Energy and Australia’s Energy Estate, which previously teamed up to develop offshore wind farms in New Zealand and Australia, unveiled the first three offshore wind farms they are developing in Australia. The projects with a total installed capacity of 4.3 GW include one fixed and two floating wind farms.
In addition, the company, founded in 2020 by two co-founders of Zvezda Yuga, plans to build five offshore wind farms in the country.
Earlier this month, Danish company Copenhagen Energy launched a plan to develop a 3 GW offshore wind farm off the coast of Western Australia.
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