Project overview
Star of the South is an offshore wind project, proposed off the coast of Gippsland, Victoria.
Harnessing strong offshore winds to power Victoria
At up to 2.2 GW, Star of the South could power around 1.2 million homes, create up to 6,000 Australian jobs across its life, and invest billions in the local economy.
The project is being progressed under a feasibility licence in a 586 km2 area, 10 km from the coast at its closest point.
It typically takes around 6 to 10 years to develop an offshore wind project. Star of the South is in the advanced stages of project development.
Star of the South is going through comprehensive environment and planning assessment, approval and licensing processes.
Pending all necessary approvals, construction could start later this decade. We’re targeting first power around 2030 to support Victoria’s 2 GW by 2032 offshore wind energy target.
Latest project updates
Feasibility studies for Star of the South started in 2019.
Since then, we’ve used scientific data, community feedback and other new information to develop and refine the project.
Here are some recent updates:
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Turbines
We’ve reduced the maximum potential number of turbines from 200 to 150. Turbines would be seen but not heard from land.
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Underwater noise
We’re exploring both established and cutting-edge technologies to reduce underwater construction noise to ensure the right measures are in place to protect whales.
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Marine life
We’ve collected three years of marine data and are modelling any potential effects of the project for our Environmental Impact Assessment.
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Fishing
We’ve listened to feedback and collected data from fishers to help plan the project. We’d ask fishers to keep clear of construction areas for everyone’s safety. Once the wind farm is up and running, many types of fishing could continue with some safety measures in place.
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Farmland
We’ll use underground cables to connect to the proposed VicGrid connection hub, working with landholders along the route.
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Protecting the environment
We’ll avoid high profile reefs on the seafloor and use a ‘no-trench’ construction method where cables come to shore to protect the beach and dunes above.
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Birds
We’ve increased the gap between the ocean and turbine blades from 25 m to 35 m, based on bird flight height data, to provide a safe zone for seabirds to fly and forage.
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Cultural Heritage
We’re working closely with the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation to preserve Cultural Heritage and develop a responsible project that creates opportunities and benefits Gippsland’s Traditional Custodians.
Designing the wind farm
A well-designed wind farm catches more wind to generate electricity.
A design for Star of the South will be developed over several years, considering:
wind conditions
seabed conditions
the environment
future energy needs
other users of the sea
existing infrastructure
safety, regulations and requirements.
Connecting to the grid
A transmission system of cables and substations will connect the offshore wind farm to the grid.
VicGrid is the government agency responsible for delivering new transmission infrastructure. With multiple offshore wind projects proposed in Gippsland, VicGrid is developing shared transmission and a connection hub where projects would connect.
We are working with VicGrid and landholders in the area on Star of the South’s transmission route.
Ports
Ports play an important role in offshore wind project construction and operations – this is where a lot of the action happens.
Construction ports need deep water with suitable facilities and available land. We expect to use multiple ports during Star of the South’s construction, and we're looking at a range of options that could be suitable.
Barry Beach Marine Terminal and Port Anthony are both good options to host our Gippsland Operations Base, where workers managing day-to-day wind farm construction and operations activities would be based – creating around 200 long-term local jobs over more than 30 years.