Of all the things the offshore wind industry needs to make it in Australia, a sudden change of leadership and energy minister in the critical testbed state of Victoria, and a November election that could deliver a new state government are not high on the list.
Already, the task of building Australia’s first ever offshore wind farm has the odds stacked against it; high costs, the tyranny of distance from global supply chains, uncertain coal exit dates, and the distinct lack of bipartisan political support are all conspiring to make a tough job even tougher.
But the mantra from some of the key players tasked with delivering Australia’s first offshore wind zone – and its first project off the coast of Gippsland – is to keep calm and carry on through the crucial next six months, starting with the August launch of the first auction for 2 GW of capacity.
Or, to paraphrase Mark Wakeham – the Australian lead of Ocean Energy Pathway and a Churchill Fellow in successful energy transitions – ‘we’re not dead yet!’
“You hear a lot of news stories about … the challenges faced by the offshore wind industry, in the same way that only six or 12 months ago we were hearing that Australians had lost their appetite for electric vehicles,” Wakeham told the Australian Clean Energy Summit on Wednesday.
