Abstract
Umwelt (Australia) Pty Ltd (Umwelt) has been engaged by BlueFloat Energy (BFE) to prepare preliminary environmental assessments to characterise the existing conditions of the Project Area, and identify potential impacts associated with the Greater Gippsland Offshore Wind Project (the Project).
This report summarises potential impacts that may result from the construction, operation, and decommissioning of the Project. The following desktop technical assessments have been undertaken to inform this report:
- Preliminary Desktop Marine Environmental Assessment (BMT, 2022)
- Preliminary Desktop Biodiversity Constraints Assessment (Biosis, 2022)
- Social Risks and Opportunities Analysis (Umwelt, 2022)
- Preliminary Desktop Hydrology Constraints Assessment (Umwelt, 2022)
- Preliminary Cultural Heritage Constraints Assessment (Umwelt, 2022).
This report also identifies potential impacts associated with landscape and visual, land use, coastal issues and soils, air quality, noise and vibration and transport. The outcomes summarised in this report identify a suite of preliminary design constraints which can be used to inform the Project design and assist in avoiding or mitigating potential impacts, as well as informing the Project’s planning and environmental approval strategy and identifying recommended ‘next steps’ for the Project. This includes a list of the further environmental assessments expected to be required to support Project assessments and approvals. Key environmental and planning risks have also been identified that may affect the timing, approvals, design, or other elements critical to the Project viability and delivery success.
For these preliminary assessments, a Study Area has been applied to the Project Area (development footprint) with a distance of 1 km either side of the onshore transmission line and substation, and 5 km around all offshore infrastructure.
It is noted that the transmission line options proposed as part of the Project were identified prior to release of the Victorian State Governments Offshore Wind Implementation Statement 1 (DELWP, October 2022) and accordingly the location of the grid connection may be subject to further review and consideration.