Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance advises the Elanora Offshore consortium on 5GW offshore wind farm project in Australia

Leading international law firm Clifford Chance has advised the Elanora Offshore consortium on a major 5GW offshore wind farm project in the Bass Strait, off the coast of Gippsland, Victoria.

The Elanora Offshore consortium comprises of KIMAenergy, EnergyAustralia, Boskalis, Respect Energy and Polpo Investments. The consortium brings together experts in offshore wind with a proven track record in delivering and financing offshore wind and energy infrastructure in Europe, Asia and Australia.

The Clifford Chance team was led by Sydney partner Reuben van Werkum and provided comprehensive advice to the Elanora Offshore consortium including on all corporate and joint venture aspects of the project to date, and included the following core team members:

• Corporate: partner Reuben van Werkum and associates Anna Wroe and Joshua Yan;
• Finance: partner Chad Bochan and counsel Sunny Jong;
• Antitrust: partner Elizabeth Richmond and counsel Mark Grime.

Reuben said, "We are very proud to have been involved in such a groundbreaking project, which has involved navigating through a new and complex regulatory landscape and balancing multiple stakeholders. The offshore wind industry in Australia has a huge amount of potential for growth and a strong backing of government support.

We believe that Elanora Offshore are well-placed to be leaders of this industry and we are hopeful that our assistance on this project will pave the way for similar undertakings in the future which contribute to Australia's renewable energy ambitions. Our team's unrivalled expertise in advising on complex infrastructure projects in Asia Pacific and globally in the offshore wind sector place us in a critical position to help clients like Elanora Offshore achieve their objectives in offshore wind."

Subject to receiving feasibility licences, the first phase of the Elanora project is anticipated to be operational by 2032, with the second phase completing by end 2034. Once fully operational, the project is expected to generate more than 20TWh of clean energy to Victoria annually, which is 40% of the state's current energy needs.

Clifford Chance has advised on landmark offshore wind projects around the world, including the £3 billion acquisition of a 50 percent stake in the Hornsea Two offshore wind farm in the UK, CDPQ on its US$2.7 billion investment in Greater Changhua 1 offshore wind farm in Taiwan. The Clifford Chance team in Australia brings together this industry specific knowledge with substantial experience in wind and renewables projects, including acting recently for Partners Group on the sale of CWP Renewables in Australia, which is the largest renewable energy deal to date in the Australian market.