Reporting by Sonali Paul; Editing by Devika Syamnath.
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MELBOURNE, Dec 7 (Reuters) – Australias Alinta Energy stated on Tuesday it is thinking about building a A$ 4 billion ($ 2.8 billion) overseas wind farm to supply Alcoa Incs (AA.N) Portland aluminium smelter and the countrys east coast grid.
The job is at an extremely early phase, with Alinta studying a 500 square kilometre location offshore where it sees possible to tap a strong wind resource. It would need to total ecological studies, innovation and expense studies in addition to look for federal government and neighborhood approvals prior to going ahead.
” We think the wind farm would need to be around 1,000 megawatts to be viable,” Alintas head of task development Kris Lynch stated in a statement.
Australia has no offshore wind farms, regardless of having countless kilometres of coastline with strong wind resources. There are more than 10 proposed overseas tasks, with an integrated capability of more than 25 gigawatts.
By comparison, since 2020, there were 7.4 GW of onshore wind farms with 4 GW of capability due to start construction.
The overseas industry might remove following Australias passage last month of long-awaited legislation setting a framework for developing overseas wind farms, although guidelines streaming from the law still have to be exercised. learn more
If Alintas Spinifex task went ahead, the Portland smelter, run by Alcoa, might be powered by approximately 100% renewables, the companies said.
” This proposition offers an ability to make a step change effect to Portland Aluminiums carbon footprint,” Portland Aluminium Smelter Manager Ron Jorgensen stated in a statement.
The smelter, the greatest single-power user in the state of Victoria, currently depends on coal-fired power and is trying to find methods to decarbonise.
The smelter got government aid and a cheap power deal earlier this year to assist it remain open for another 5 years.
Alinta Energy is owned by private Hong Kong conglomerate Chow Tai Fook Enterprises.
($ 1 = 1.4180 Australian dollars).
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