The Victorian port pitching to become the first in Australia to be dedicated to the construction of offshore wind farms says securing the role could more than double its annual shipping traffic from 150 vessel visits a year, to around 350 – or an average of one vessel per day.
In its Draft 2055 Port Development Strategy (PDS), released for public feedback on Tuesday, the Port of Hastings says its “immediate and most catalytic opportunity” is to host the proposed Victorian Renewable Energy Terminal (VRET).
Transforming the Port of Hastings into a base for construction of Australia’s first offshore wind farms is also the strong preference of the Victorian Labor government, which has set targets of at least 2GW of installed capacity by 2032, 4GW by 2035 and 9GW by 2040.
With nine projects awarded feasibility licences to pursue project proposals in Victoria’s Gippsland zone, the state government is coming under increasing pressure to get its ducks in a row, including to have the required supporting infrastructure – ports, transmission – in place by the time developers are ready to build.
In January, Victorian energy minister Lily D’Ambrosio announced that the state now plans to hold the long awaited but delayed first auction for offshore wind farms in August, but is yet to finalise the details of its structure.
“VRET will operate as a dedicated hub for the import, storage and assembly of large offshore wind turbine components, which cannot be transported by road or rail due to their size and weight,” the draft strategy says.
“The project is considered critical infrastructure to enable Victoria to meet its offshore wind generation targets and transition to a renewable energy future.”
Critical though it may be, the proposed Port of Hastings VRET hit a wall in January 2024, after being ruled out under the federal government’s EPBC Act for posing a “clearly unacceptable” environmental risk.
The decision, signed off by then federal environment minister Tanya Plibersek, centred around the impacts the proposed Terminal would have on the Western Port Ramsar wetlands, which are internationally protected.
A new and “substantially modified” proposal was re-submitted for EPBC assessment in June, and the Port of Hastings says it is currently preparing the environmental assessment for the project as part of the State and Federal approvals processes.
At the time of the rebooted referral to the EPBC, the Port of Hastings Corporation (PoHC) said the modified proposal would affect a much smaller portion of the Western Port Ramsar Wetlands.
“The reclamation area for the proposed Terminal will be less than 0.03% of the approximately 60,000-hectare area designated as the Ramsar wetlands,” it said.
“Environmental assessments to date show that potential impacts to mudflats, sedimentation, seagrass, marine life, and waterbirds will be highly localised and manageable, with no unacceptable impact on the ecological character of the Ramsar wetlands.”
The environmental impact of the dredging that will be required to further deepen the deep-water port to accommodate offshore wind vessels will also be under close scrutiny.
“The approach to the Renewable Energy Terminal site, located between the Long Island Point Jetty and the Steel Wharves, is currently constrained
by 9m water depth, which is insufficient for offshore wind vessels and larger break bulk carriers,” this week’s draft report says.
“Deepening of this section is required as part of the Victorian Renewable Energy Terminal project to unlock access for heavy lift, jack-up, and semi-submersible vessels.”
But PoHC says there is plenty to recommend the port as the best spot for Victoria’s first offshore wind hub, including its strategic location between southeast Melbourne and Gippsland, and its current status as the only commercial trading port east of Melbourne.
“This location provides direct access to potential onshore and offshore trades across these areas, connectivity to Tasmania via the Bass Strait, and the nearest Victorian port access to the eastern coastline of Australia,” the report says.
“The Port of Hastings also has a strong network of road and rail freight routes connecting it with these locations.”
PoHC also argues that the VRET would create thousands of Victorian jobs, and act as a key industrial hub, providing local employment and supply opportunities as well as significant economic benefits throughout its construction and operation.
“The construction of offshore wind will require the Port of Hastings to be able to import, store and assemble wind turbines before being shipped out to sea for installation, in addition to ongoing operations and maintenance support and capability,” it says.
“The Port currently handles around 150 vessel visits per annum, which equates to around 0.4 vessel visit per day (as per Figure 17). In comparison the Port of Melbourne currently handles around 2,500 vessel visits per annum, which corresponds to an average of 7 vessel visits per day.
Source: Port of Hastings Corp
“Within the potential introduction of the offshore wind trade there is potenital for around an extra 200 vessel visits per annum to the port. This will increase the overall port vessel visits per annum to around 350, which equates to an average of one vessel per day.
“The immediate and most catalytic opportunity for the Port of Hastings is the Victorian Government’s commitment to developing the Victorian Renewable Energy Terminal at Port of Hastings to support the assembly of offshore wind turbines,” it says.
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