Acciona has been selected to develop, finance, build and operate a transmission network designed to connect future offshore wind generation in Victoria, Australia, under a 30-year concession agreement.
The Gippsland offshore wind transmission project is being coordinated by VicGrid, the Victorian government agency responsible for transmission planning and renewable energy zones. Its first phase is intended to unlock up to 2 GW of offshore wind capacity.
The infrastructure will include approximately 60 km of 500 kV overhead transmission line and a new 500 kV terminal substation at Giffard. The substation will receive power from offshore wind developments and connect it to the Loy Yang energy complex.
The project addresses the challenge of transporting electricity from offshore generation sites to the onshore grid. It will provide transmission infrastructure for future wind farms rather than generate electricity itself.
The appointment adds to Acciona’s portfolio of Australian energy infrastructure projects. In Western Australia, the company was recently selected to build a component of the Clean Energy Link East transmission project, valued at AU$655 million.
In New South Wales, Acciona is working with COBRA and Endeavour Energy on the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone transmission network. The project includes 90 km of 500 kV lines, 150 km of 330 kV lines and eight substations, with an initial capacity of 4.5 GW. The first transmission lines have been strung, and energisation is targeted from 2028.
Acciona, in consortium with Genus, has also been selected to construct the eastern section of Transgrid’s HumeLink transmission project in New South Wales.
Together, these projects reflect the growing requirement for high-voltage transmission infrastructure to connect new renewable generation and support changes in Australia’s electricity supply mix.
