Offshore wind power is set to expand rapidly in the Asia-Pacific region in the coming years. We are carrying out research and outreach related to early stage market development for offshore wind. Activities have been supported by the Strategic Partnerships for the Implementation of the Paris Agreement (SPIPA), co-funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), and the European Union, and the Zero-Carbon Exports for the Asia-Pacific (ZCEAP) initiative at the Australian National University.

Research Outputs

Llewelyn Hughes, Wenting Cheng, Thang Nam Do, Anton Ming-Zhi Gao,  Jorrit Gosens, Sung-Young Kim, Thomas Longden. Governing Offshore Wind in the Asia Pacific: Emerging Regulatory Frameworks. Climate Policy. Forthcoming.

We analyse policies supporting offshore wind power in major markets in the Asia Pacific region, focusing on whether regulations governing site selection and consenting are streamlined and/or centralised. We focus on the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and Vietnam as they are projected to be the biggest markets in terms of new installations up to 2030.

Thomas Longden and Llewelyn Hughes. Offshore Wind Power in the Asia-Pacific: Expert Elicitation on Costs and Policies. Energy Policy. January 2024. Download paper.

We conduct an expert elicitation of future price expectations for offshore wind in the AsiaPacific region. We study both more mature fixed-bottom offshore wind, and emerging floating offshore wind power technologies. We also examine views on public policies that are likely to support the more rapid deployment of fixed bottom and floating offshore wind technologies.

Cheng Cheng and Llewelyn Hughes. Is There a Role for Offshore Wind Power in Renewable Hydrogen Production in Australia? Journal of Cleaner Production. January 2023. Download paper. Slide pack.

We consider the possibility of combining offshore wind with hydrogen production in the Australian context. A model is developed to represent an off-grid system powered by offshore wind and solar photovoltaics, with electrical storage providing balancing. The model optimises generation, storage and electrolyser capacities to find the least-cost solution for hydrogen production under specified constraints.

Thang Nam Do, Paul J. Burke, Llewelyn Hughes, and Ta Dinh Thi. Policy Options for Offshore Wind Power in Vietnam. Marine Policy. 2022. Download paper.

This study assesses key barriers to offshore wind power (OWP) development in Vietnam and policy options for the development of the sector through a survey of 39 experts from government agencies, research institutions, industry, and civil society plus 22 follow-up interviews, coupled with a broader analysis of key barriers and policy options.

Outreach

2024

  • 11-15 Mar. Delegation on Offshore Wind to Germany in the Australia-Germany Energy Partnership. Hamburg/Berlin. [in person]

  • 26 Feb. Chair, 2024 Australian Offshore Wind Conference. Grand Hyatt Melbourne, Australia. [in person]

2023

  • 10 Aug. Speaking to a parliamentary delegation from Vietnam on the regulatory framework for offshore wind regulation in Australia and opportunities for collaboration with Vietnam. [in person].

  • 14 Jun. Speaking on the Role and Business Case for Offshore Wind Hydrogen Production in Australia. Adelphi and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. [virtual]. Access slides. [virtual]

  • 23 Mar. Speaking at the 10th Ocean Dialogue on regional and international practices in offshore renewable energy. Nha Trang , Vietnam [virtual].

  • 16 Feb. Speaking on Australia’s offshore wind market at the APEC Workshop on Support Offshore Wind Deployment and Grid Connection in APEC Region. [virtual]

2022

  • 16 Nov. Chair, 2022 Australian Offshore Wind Conference. The Crown, Melbourne, Australia.

  • 21 Sep. Speaking on APAC Wind at Future of Energy Week for Economist Impact. [virtual]

  • 23 May. Speaking on Offshore wind power as a long term decarbonisation option. Global Energy Transition and Energy Trade Following Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine. ANU. Slides.

  • 11 Mar. Offshore wind will come to Australian waters – as long as we pave the way for this new industry. The Conversation. Read.

  • 23 Feb. Seminar on “Offshore Wind Power in Europe & Asia: Is a Single Regulatory Model Emerging?” with Anton Ming-Zhi Gao, Professor of Law at the National Tsing Hua University’s Institute of Law for Science and Technology, Taiwan, Ignacio Herrera Anchustegui, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Bergen, Norway, Tina Soliman Hunter, Professor of Energy and Resources Law, Macquarie University, and Llewelyn Hughes, Associate Professor at the Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University. Access video and slides.

2021

  • 29 Nov. Seminar on Economic Opportunities from Offshore Wind Power: Supply Chain Development in Europe and Australia with Iván Pineda, Director for Public Affairs for WindEurope and Andy Evans, CEO of Oceanex and an early leader in Australia’s nascent offshore wind industry. Access video and slides.

  • 29 Sep. Speaking on Japan’s offshore wind market at the 2021 Global Offshore Wind Conference.

  • 17 Sep. Seminar on “Economic Opportunities from Offshore Wind Power: the Role of Industry Clusters” with Mr. Matthieu Ballu, policy officer in the team in charge of renewable energy policy in the Directorate-General for Energy at the European Commission, Mr Marc Itgen. Managing Director of the Business Development Agency of the City of Cuxhaven in Germany, Ms Elisabeth Haugland Austrheim, Project Manager for Norwegian Offshore Wind Cluster, and Dr Nadia Leibbrandt, Project Director for Commercial and Investment Attraction in the Victorian Government’s Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. Access video and slides.