Australia’s first offshore wind auction is “going ahead as planned,” new energy minister confirms

Victoria’s newly appointed energy minister, Jaclyn Symes, says the state is going ahead as planned with the launch of Australia’s first ever offshore wind auction, and keeping it on the calendar for sometime this month.

The status of Australia’s offshore wind plans has been a topic of even more speculation than usual since the Victorian Labor government’s dramatic change of leadership at the end of July, compounded by last week’s shock resignation of state energy minister Lily D’Ambrosio.

D’Ambrosio, who last week called time on her run as Australia’s longest-standing energy minister, has been instrumental in getting Australia’s nascent offshore wind energy sector over the line, including through the establishment of critical supporting infrastructure and the all-important tender process.

These two crucial milestones still hang in the balance, however, with Victoria yet to lock in an offshore wind dedicated port and the first auction pencilled in for this month, but without a firm date.

On Friday, new Labor premier Ben Carroll inadvertently added to speculation of a policy rethink, after broad comments about a new approach to major projects were interpreted by the AFR as flagging “delays to offshore wind plans.”

“I will look at how can we do [major] projects better. Obviously, that entails some sort of getting under the hood … If it does mean [building them] over time, means better production and a wiser spend of our dollars, that is something I will consider,” the premier said.

“I support the concept of offshore wind,” he also said. “[The sector] can have confidence that I will provide certainty, but I want to take advice. We have new ministers just sworn in two days ago, got fresh thinking. I’ve made it very clear though: all major projects, whether it’s offshore wind, renewables, public transport … they’ve got to extract the best dollar for taxpayers.”

The AFR reported this as the state government flagging “delays to offshore wind plans,” but new energy minister Symes says the auction, at least, will not be stalled any further.

“Victoria’s first offshore wind auction is going ahead this month as planned,” Symes told Renew Economy in an emailed statement.

“Our focus is on delivering reliable, affordable energy – now and for future generations.

And for good measure, with an eye on the November election, Symes added: “Jess Wilson’s Liberals and Nationals want to block renewable energy projects, putting thousands of regional jobs at risk, while stripping billions of dollars out of regional economies.”

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