Atlas Professionals and Star of the South Announce Joint Labour Market Study for first Offshore Wind Project in Australia

4 July 2019

Atlas Professionals and Star of the South will jointly conduct a market study on the availability of the required labour and vessel resources for the Australian Star of the South Project, the Southern Hemisphere first proposed offshore wind farm.

Labour and Vessel Requirements Analysis

The report by Star of the South and Atlas Professionals will analyse the labour requirements for the Star of the South during the development, construction and maintenance phase of the project. The study will analyse the future availability of required labour and the necessity to upgrade and/or train available manpower. 

In addition, the report will focus on the requirements for specialist vessels during the development, construction and maintenance phase of the project. These requirements will be analysed against the availability of vessels (existing and new to be build) and the competition for specialised vessels with other future offshore projects in Australia and the broader region.

Martine Rondeel, Director Renewables at Atlas Professionals is enthusiastic about the collaboration: “We are excited to work together with Star of the South and be part of the development of Australia’s first offshore wind project. Since starting our renewable energy activities earlier this year, we have managed to get engagements in Australia, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Japan. This is evidence that the regional offshore wind market is growing rapidly and the need for skilled manpower is growing equally fast.”

Star of the South Project

Star of the South is Australia’s first proposed offshore wind farm and is backed by Danish fund management company Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP). On 29 March 2019, the Commonwealth Government granted Star of the South an exclusive exploration license to investigate the technical feasibility of constructing wind turbines in the ocean off the south coast of Gippsland, Victoria. 

The up to 2200MW wind farm would generate roughly the same energy of the now-closed Hazelwood coal-fired power station and supply about eighteen per cent of the state of Victoria’s electricity requirements.

Atlas Professionals

Atlas Professionals is an international leading HR service provider. Since 1982, Atlas has played a major role in the provision of professionals to the energy, marine and renewables industries worldwide. Atlas’ has a vast, worldwide network and a track record in providing professionals for nearly all of the wind farms in the UK, Netherlands, Germany and Denmark since 2008. 

In 2019, the company extended their services in renewables to the APAC region with an offshore wind hub in Singapore. With 24 offices and a presence in 17 countries, Atlas Professionals can turn complex personnel challenges into transparent and secure solutions wherever needed.