By Nick Hedley
Australia’s Cbus Super, which manages A$73.5 billion
(US$53.4 billion) on behalf of 850,000 members, has bought a 10% stake in the
country’s most progressed offshore wind project.
The Star of the South project belongs to Copenhagen
Infrastructure Partners (CIP), which calls itself the world’s largest fund
manager focused on greenfield renewable energy.
“Star of the South is a landmark investment for Australian
superannuation into the local offshore wind sector. It will support, establish
and grow the offshore wind industry in Australia, while assisting the Victorian
Government’s commitment to a net-zero emissions economy,” Kristian Fok, chief investment
officer at Cbus, said in a statement.
This is the first direct investment in offshore Australian
wind by Cbus, which is focused on workers in the building, construction and
allied industries.
The project will be located off the south coast of
Gippsland, in the state of Victoria, with a capacity of up to 2.2GW. It will
power up to 1.2 million homes and supply 20% of the state’s electricity needs. The
Victorian government is targeting 9GW of offshore wind capacity by 2040.
“The transaction highlights the significant potential of
offshore wind in Australia, with the opportunity for Victoria to be a leader in
the significant global growth of offshore wind,” said Michael Hannibal, partner
at CIP.
At the COP26 climate conference last year, CIP said it aimed
to deploy €100
billion into green energy projects by 2030.
CIP manages 10 funds and €18 billion worth of assets on
behalf of about 120 international institutional investors based in Europe, the
U.K., the Asia-Pacific, and North America.