THE APAC Wind Energy Summit will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in July 2025, the second time in three years Victoria has hosted the event.

Minister for Tourism Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos and Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio today [4 October] announced the Global Wind Energy Council’s three-day summit will bring up to 1500 international industry leaders, policymakers and global investors to Victoria – the home of Australia’s first offshore wind generation industry.

Following a successful inaugural event in Melbourne in 2023 and a second edition this year in South Korea, the third conference will provide a platform to drive discussion regarding the growth of wind energy across the Asia Pacific.

The ministers said businesses will play a strong role in supporting the delivery of the offshore wind industry which will be key to the state’s renewable energy transition and meeting the legislated targets of at least 2 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy generation by 2032, 4 GW by 2035 and 9 GW by 2040.

The state is also leading the way in accelerating the deployment of offshore wind power – announcing at the 2023 summit that Victoria was the first subnational government in the world to join the Global Offshore Wind Alliance, they say.

Offshore wind is critical to helping Victoria reach net zero emissions by 2045 and is expected to create over 6,000 jobs and generate billions in investment. Victoria will release an Expression of Interest for the state’s first offshore wind energy auction by the end of the year, an important next step in building the first offshore wind farm in the country. 

Late last week federal energy minister Chris Bowen announced Spinifex Offshore Wind Farm, proposed for the Southern Ocean offshore wind zone, has been “preliminarily offered” a feasibility licence for a potential development by Alinta Energy and Parkwind, which is part of JERA Nex.

Should the project go ahead, it could generate 1.2 GW of electricity, enough to supply around 10% of Victoria’s current electricity needs – equivalent to 650,000 Victorian homes.

To maximise the proposed project’s potential economic and social benefits for the region, workers, and local supply chains, the government will convene a Southern Ocean Wind Industry Committee, bringing together the licence holder, state and local governments, First Nations groups, local industry and workers’ representatives, Mr Bowen said.