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AGL Abandons Gippsland Offshore Wind Project, Returning Feasibility Licence

The move underscores mounting cost and policy pressures that have prompted the auditor‑general to warn Victoria will miss its 2032 offshore wind goal.

Overview

  • AGL cancelled the 2.5‑gigawatt Gippsland Skies plan and handed back its federal feasibility licence for the Gippsland offshore wind zone.
  • It is the third Gippsland project to fold this year after RWE’s Kent and BlueFloat Energy’s Gippsland Dawn, while Origin’s Navigator North remains on hold.
  • AGL says it will redirect investment toward onshore wind, grid‑scale batteries, pumped hydro and fast‑response gas firming.
  • Industry headwinds reported include higher interest rates, inflated equipment and construction costs, supply‑chain bottlenecks and US policy changes under President Donald Trump that removed federal support and revoked permits.
  • Victoria is targeting 2 GW of offshore wind by 2032 rising to 9 GW by 2040, but the auditor‑general says the 2032 goal will not be met; nine Gippsland feasibility permits remain active and the state is expected to outline an offshore wind support auction plan soon.