Origin Energy, on behalf of the Origin x RES joint venture, is pleased to confirm the Navigator North offshore wind project in Victoria’s declared Gippsland offshore wind zone has been awarded a feasibility licence from the Australian Government.
Navigator North is a joint venture between Australia’s leading integrated energy company, Origin, and the world’s largest independent renewable energy company, RES, which the partners believe could provide material renewable energy supply to the National Electricity Market (NEM) in the future. Origin x RES brings unrivalled expertise to offshore wind in Australia, combining Origin’s strengths in retail, generation and energy trading with RES’s proven capabilities in delivering offshore wind projects globally.
The Navigator North project is approximately 34 kilometres from shore and covers an area of 700 square kilometres. The Navigator North project has the potential to deliver 1.5 GW of total installed capacity to the NEM, create an estimated 1,400 new jobs during the design and construction phase and a further 60 jobs over the project’s 30-year operational life.
Origin’s head of energy supply and operations, Greg Jarvis said, “We are pleased to have been awarded a feasibility licence for the Navigator North offshore wind project, which is testimony to the strengths and capabilities of our joint venture, and the commitments expressed in our application.
“Origin is the nation’s largest energy retailer with 4.7 million customer accounts, owns a suite of generation assets across Australia’s East Coast, and has deep expertise right across the Australian energy and policy landscape. RES brings extensive global experience across the full lifecycle of offshore and onshore wind farms and other renewable energy technologies.
“Together, we will look to develop a competitive wind project that we believe could provide material renewable supply to the energy market. We will place local communities and workforces at the heart of any potential Navigator North development and future operations,” Mr Jarvis said.
As Origin x RES progresses the Navigator North offshore wind project, the joint venture will work with communities, governments and other proponents to address cumulative impacts and utilise shared infrastructure.
Should the project progress to the construction and operation phase, the venture plans to invest into community engagement activities, including direct community investment through the establishment of a community benefit fund, a neighbourhood benefits sharing scheme and a local energy discount scheme.
