Australia’s government introduces offshore electricity bill

The Australian government last week introduced legislation to enable an offshore electricity industry, including transmission cables and offshore renewable energy generation such as offshore wind.

The Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Bill 2021 sets up a regulatory framework for the construction, operation and decommissioning of offshore electricity infrastructure in the Commonwealth offshore area.

“Offshore generation and transmission can deliver significant benefits to all Australians through a more secure and reliable electricity system, and create thousands of new jobs and business opportunities in regional Australia,” energy minister Angus Taylor said in a statement on Thursday.

The bill is expected to accelerate projects that are already under development, including the Marinus Link transmission line between the mainland and Tasmania’s Battery of the Nation project, the Star of the South wind farm off the coast of Gippsland, Victoria, and Sun Cable, which is intended to export renewable energy from Australia to Singapore.

The legislation will see the National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator (NOPTA) oversee licences for offshore projects, and the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) supervise operations and safety.

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