Offshore wind is likely to play a big role in helping Australian industry decarbonise, says former Woodside CEO Peter Coleman, who will chair aspiring player Direct Infrastructure.
Former Woodside Petroleum CEO Peter Coleman has been appointed to chair ambitious offshore wind developer Direct Infrastructure to helm its multibillion-dollar plans to become a big player in the growing sector.
“It’s the oil and gas sector, the resources sector which has delivered the largest projects in Australia, and particularly when you think of offshore energy infrastructure, it’s really been in that oil and gas background,” Mr Jonker said.“You’ve got to go to the heart of the sectors that need to decarbonise to decarbonise Australia, and that’s why we’ve worked together this team to look at offshore wind.
Still, Direct, which is advised by Miro Capital, is targeting levelised cost of energy production of between $50 and $70 a megawatt-hour by 2030, making it cost competitive considering advantages such as higher availability compared with onshore wind and expected lower transmission losses. “The scaling-up of this industry will drive those costs down,” Mr Jonker said, noting that offshore wind had become the renewables sector with the most rapidly declining cost base compared to onshore wind and solar, where costs declines are plateauing.