Australia’s burgeoning offshore wind sector has attracted notable investment from Spanish energy giants, including BlueFloat Energy, Iberdrola and GPG.
There are now over 12 developers working on more than 20 offshore wind farms around Australia. According to the Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre, Australia has the potential to generate 2,000GW from offshore wind in areas less than 100km from existing substations.
Spain’s BlueFloat Energy and Australia’s Energy Estate announced their first three offshore wind projects in Australia in December 2021. Two projects use floating wind technology in New South Wales’ Hunter Coast and Wollongong regions. The other project uses bottom-fixed technology in Victoria’s Greater Gippsland region.
In June 2022, BlueFloat Energy and Energy Estate announced their latest development. The Southern Winds Offshore Wind project is in the Portland West Offshore Wind Renewable Zone. The project brings the partnership’s total capacity to over 6GW.
CEO of BlueFloat Energy, Carlos Martin, said offshore wind energy is booming globally and now it is Australia’s time.
“Australia offers a combination of world-class wind resources, a desire to transition from fossil fuels, and suitable maritime conditions. These provide an ideal platform for large-scale energy infrastructure projects built close to load sources,” Mr Martin said.
Other major Spanish investors embedded in Australia’s clean energy sector include:
- Iberdrola completed the assembly of the first solar-wind hybrid plant in the world in South Australia in 2021. The company has committed to investing €3 billion (about AUD $4.6 billion) into developing Australia’s renewable energy sector
- Naturgy group company GPG’s first battery storage centre was recently inaugurated in the Australian Capital Territory. The 10MW facility has a storage capacity of 20MWh, allowing a flexible integration of renewables into the grid
Spain and Australia have planned to deepen cooperation on renewable energy and infrastructure. This commitment was strengthened by the Australian Prime Minister’s visit to Spain in June. The Spanish Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism also visited Australia in September.
Both governments affirmed their commitment to a future Europe-Australia trade agreement and ongoing collaboration towards a low-emissions future.
