AECOM has successfully provided planning and advisory services for the Star of the South (SOTS) project, Australia’s first offshore wind farm.
Next generation power solution
Located off the coast of south-eastern Australia, SOTS comprises, among others, the installation of 200-400 offshore wind turbines and various supporting transmission assets, i.e. cables and substations, required to transfer the energy generated by the offshore wind farm to the existing wider electricity network in Latrobe Valley.
Developed to full potential, SOTS would generate up to 2.2 GW of new capacity, powering around 1.2 million homes across Victoria.
Powering up safely
The construction and operation of the wind farm required modifications to ports and harbours, as well as the surrounding landscape, which entailed careful planning and approvals.
AECOM was brought in as a trusted planning and environmental advisor to support the development of the project.
In close consultation with relevant regulatory agencies, we have developed and prepared:
an Approvals Strategy to identify the most appropriate planning and environment approvals pathway for the project:
- a detailed project schedule to secure the approvals
- project referrals in relation to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and Environment Effects Act 1978 to inform government decisions on the approvals process.
The referrals, submitted in April 2020, included preliminary ecology, heritage and visual impact assessments. Marine mammal and seabird surveys were also conduced to support forthcoming impact assessments.
Our team has also undertaken detailed ecological surveys across three onshore transmission corridor options for connecting the wind farm to the wider transmission. This work has contributed to an assessment of the alignment options.
We also led the finalisation of a study program and scoping of the specialist assessments undertaken between 2021 through 2022 required to satisfy Commonwealth and State approvals requirements.
The services provided by AECOM have identified a suitable pathway for the project to obtain the required planning and environmental approvals, enabling SOTS to identify and actively manage the approvals risks associated with the project and gain confidence in further developing and implementing the project.