Star of the South

Above the water, offshore wind turbines capture strong ocean winds to produce clean, reliable electricity. But what's happening under the surface? Turbine foundations can function as artificial reefs, providing new habitat and food for marine life. This can help boost fish stocks and biodiversity within an offshore wind farm 🐟🦀🪸 #Offshorewind #RenewableEnergy #artificialreef

Kiernan Civil is a plant and equipment hire company based in Sale. Owners Mark and Jess recently gave us a tour of their warehouse, walking us through their equipment and its uses. We were pleased to have the team from Kiernan's involved in our 2022 geotechnical investigations. They dug up soil and rock samples from 150 locations. We're now using findings from this work to design the project's transmission system. Jess told us that "Star of the South is the biggest project we’ve worked on in Gippsland. We love living and working in Gippsland, not only for the diverse scenery and activities but because of the welcoming people". You can find Kiernan Civil listed on page 24 of the Offshore Wind Supplier Showcase 👉 https://lnkd.in/gHnrdvdh

We make it a priority to buy local, hire local, and support Gippslanders doing great work in the community. So far, we’ve spent $4.8 million in Gippsland - with a further $3 billion in local spend expected over the life of the project. We love being part of the Gippsland community and are committed to seeing local communities better off with us as a neighbour. #offshorewind #localspend

Data is key to understanding the ocean and making evidence-based decisions to protect its health. So it was great to share insights from our three-year marine ecology survey program in Bass Strait with ocean scientists at the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) annual meeting recently. Our resident marine ecologist Mike Skeeles enjoyed connecting with peers and hearing about other initiatives and opportunities to work together to achieve a sustainable ocean future for Australia. Thanks Michelle Heupel for involving us in the conversation. #Offshorewind #marineecology

It was a pleasure to welcome the Governor of Victoria to our office last week. We were grateful for the opportunity to brief Her Excellency Professor the Honourable Margaret Gardner AC on Star of the South and discuss the opportunities offshore wind presents for Gippsland and Victoria. With a background in and passion for education, the Governor was particularly interested in opportunities for young people and how we're working with local education providers. Office of the Governor of Victoria #offshorewind #Renewableenergy

Is it a submarine? Is it a buoy? No! It's the Seeker Class Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV). This new innovation from the Australian Centre for Robotics and University of Sydney was taken for a test run off Port Albert last week for field trials with industry partners Fathom Pacific and Greybits - and we were lucky enough to see it in action. These AUVs can go as deep as 300 m underwater to collect high-resolution imagery of the seafloor that can be developed into landscape-scale 3D models of the environment. Stefan has been leading work on the AUV and is excited about how it will be used in Australia's offshore wind industry. "We see opportunities for this technology in environmental monitoring and impact assessment, offshore energy infrastructure management, fisheries, port infrastructure and defence applications", he said. 

Offshore wind turbine technology has advanced over the years to be more efficient, reliable, cost-effective and sustainable than ever before. Back in 2000, a typical offshore wind turbine had a 2 MW capacity. Today, 14 MW turbines are being installed. And 20 MW turbines are being designed for the future. This means fewer turbines, with a reduced footprint on the seabed, producing more and cheaper electricity.

Atoll Offshore has provided vessel and subsea services locally and interstate for more than 12 years 👏 The Lakes Entrance based company has a fleet of aluminium vessels for a variety of offshore works including transferring supplies, diver and Remotely Operated Vehicle support, construction, and research. We used one of these vessels - the 'Silver Star' - to map the seafloor in the Star of the South area in 2020. John from Atoll Offshore recently gave us a tour of the 'Starcat', a former fishing boat now used for survey work across Australia. "We are eagerly anticipating Star of the South’s development and are excited for the opportunities offshore wind will bring local businesses”, he said.  You can find Atoll Offshore listed on page 45 of the Offshore Wind Supplier Showcase 👉 https://lnkd.in/gHnrdvdh

With offshore wind energy being new to Australia, it can be hard to imagine what projects will look like. That's why we created a digital model of Star of the South. You can use this tool to see how the project could look from coastal towns, explore the proposed wind farm, learn about turbine technology and provide feedback. Check out the online version here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gMPG3TVJ Or visit our Gippsland office during opening hours to interact with it on a big screen and speak with our team.

The top (white) sections of an offshore wind turbine - the tower, blades and nacelle - can all be installed within a 24 hour window if the conditions at sea are right 😮 It takes years of planning to ensure this work runs smoothly and safely. See how it all comes together at sea 👉 https://lnkd.in/gj2YUXRN