Star of the South is Australia’s most advanced offshore wind development. Located at least 10 km off the coast, the up to 2.2GW wind farm has the potential to meet nearly 20 per cent of Victoria’s electricity needs and create hundreds of long-term jobs and investment in the Gippsland region.

In April 2023, Star of the South and its principal investor Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) participated in Australia’s inaugural Feasibility Licence application (FLA) process under the Offshore Energy Infrastructure Act 2021 (Cth), to secure exclusive seabed access within the Gippsland declared area.

Successful attainment of a Feasibility Licence will:

• enable Star of the South to continue developing the proposed offshore wind farm
• drive the emergence of a local offshore wind sector and supply chain to benefit all of Australia
• de-risk delivery of other wind farms within the Gippsland declared area

IAG supported Star of the South, CIP and its exclusive development partner Copenhagen Offshore Partners in the strategic development and preparation of their FLA documents. As part of this engagement, IAG’s multi-disciplinary team effectively embedded within Star of the South to:

• quickly develop a good appreciation of the offshore industry overall, its role within the spectrum of renewable energy technologies, and key challenges of its introduction in Australia
• accelerate our understanding of CIP and COP’s priorities and strategic vision, as well as their project feasibility development model
• support review of the narrative for various workstreams including technical, commercial, national security, governance, company experience, as well as industry development

IAG worked closely with the leadership and the wider team across Star of the South and COP to progress the strategic and technical development of the FLA. Our team also drew on their mega infrastructure project experience for insights into key government priorities and local context.

IAG was responsible for:

• developing and reviewing FLA content in collaboration with the client’s Australian team and international experts
• managing and supporting final preparation of FLA documents for submission

The result was high-quality FLA documents that presented a compelling case for the proposed offshore wind farm. IAG received positive feedback for its highly collaborative team and its ability to complement and actively respond to the client’s needs.