German utility RWE has been granted a feasibility licence from the Australian government to develop an offshore wind farm in the Bass Strait, off the Gippsland coast in Victoria. This approval for the licence in Australia’s first designated offshore wind zone grants RWE an exclusive seven-year seabed right to develop the Kent Offshore Wind Farm project. The approval also allows the company to apply for a commercial licence to build and operate the wind farm for up to 40 years. The lease area awarded to RWE has the potential to host a wind farm with up to 2GW of capacity, enough to power up to 1.6m Australian homes with green electricity. The site is about 67 km off the coast and has an average water depth of 59 m. The wind farm will become operational in the first half of the 2030s. “By securing exclusive seabed rights in the Bass Strait, we are now entering the Australian offshore wind market and bringing more than 20 years of experience in the field. With the Kent project, we will work on developing one of the first offshore wind farms off the Australian coast,” said Sven Utermöhlen, CEO of RWE Offshore Wind. The next step for the German company is to carry out studies to help determine the project design and to submit applications for planning permission. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1_95_0_1_2'); }); TagsGermany Offshore Wind