A view of Wonthaggi Wind Farm in Wonthaggi of Victoria, Australia, on July 7, 2015. Quinn Rooney/Getty Images
The Victorian government has shelved its September auction for offshore wind projects in Gippsland after developers warned they would not move ahead without government funding commitments.
Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio told the Asia Pacific Wind Energy Summit in Melbourne on Sept. 16 that the long-planned competitive auction would be “indefinitely delayed” at the request of industry players.
“We have heard clearly from some prospective project developers in offshore wind here in Victoria that they do not want us to open up the auction … until there is certainty about funding as well as the enabling infrastructure,” D’Ambrosio was quoted in the Australian Financial Review.
The minister said the state’s inability to lock in a joint funding deal with Canberra remained the “central dilemma” for offshore wind.
“The Commonwealth has a critical and large role to play, and it needs to be more than has been delivered to date,” she added. A new timeline is expected before the end of the year.
