The Spinifex Offshore Wind Farm, proposed by Alinta Energy and Parkwind (part of JERA Nex), is a proposed offshore wind generation project with 1.2 gigawatts capacity and up to 70 wind turbines. The project is to be located 20 kilometres off the Newcastle coastline in NSW in the declared Southern Ocean offshore wind zone.
Key Dates
| Dec 2021 | Project Announcement |
| 2032 | Expected Construction Completion |
Procurement
| Procuring Agency: | Alinta Energy and Parkwind |
PROJECT HISTORY
| Dec 2021 | Alinta Energy announced the potential for a 1 GW wind farm to be established around 10 kilometres off the coast of Portland that could supply the Portland Aluminum Smelter and east coast electricity grid. |
| Oct 2022 | The Australian Renewable Energy Agency announced it would be granting the project $1.5 million as part of its Advancing Renewables Program. |
| Apr 2024 | Following the declaration of the Southern Ocean offshore wind zone, Alinta Energy announced their intention to assess site suitability for the proposed project within the declared area. |
| Apr 2024 | Alinta Energy and Parkwind announced their collaboration to develop the Spinifex Offshore Wind Farm and identify a project area in the Southern Ocean Region Declared Area. |
| Jul 2024 | A feasibility licence application was submitted for a site within the declared area. |
| Sep 2024 | The Federal Government preliminarily offered Alinta Energy and Parkwind a feasibility licence for the project. The final decision on the feasibility licence is subject to consultation processes, including with stakeholders in the local community and First Nations groups, and preparation of environmental assessments and management plans. If feasibility of the project is proven, the developers can apply for a commercial licence to build the offshore wind project to generate electricity commercially. |
Estimated Total Cost
(2021)
Sector
Energy
Procurement approach
Unconfirmed |
Location
Victoria |
Resources
Media releases
2021/12/06 - Project announcement2022/10/06 - ARENA funding
2024/04/24 - Alinta Energy and Parkwind collaboration
2024/09/26 - Preliminary feasibility licence (Minister for Climate Change and Energy)
2024/09/26 - Preliminary feasibility licence (Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water)
