The federal government is taking the next steps in creating a new renewable energy industry, with Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen announcing six proposed regions that have world-class offshore wind energy potential.
Public consultation on the proposed Bass Strait off Gippsland area will begin immediately, as the Albanese Government works with communities, environmental groups, industry and the maritime sector to ensure communities are appropriately engaged in establishing this new industry.
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The other regions for offshore wind energy projects include:
- The Pacific Ocean region off the Hunter in NSW
- The Pacific Ocean region off the Illawarra in NSW
- The Southern Ocean region off Portland in Victoria
- The Bass Strait region off Northern Tasmania
- The Indian Ocean region off Perth/Bunbury, WA.
“Unlocking the power of offshore wind in Australia will help power the nation,” Bowen said in a statement.
“Offshore wind can help with energy security and resilience due to its power capacity and availability at times when solar power and onshore wind are not available.
“The International Energy Agency has even referred to it as in a class of its own—variable baseload power.
“Good to excellent offshore wind locations exist at strategic locations. These include sites with existing energy generation facilities and industrial hubs with strong connections to existing transmission networks, near major export ports, and near industrial hubs where the transmission grid is the strongest.”
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water will facilitate the consultation process in the proposed regions.
The consultation process will be an opportunity for all stakeholders with interests in the proposed areas to provide feedback.
Climate Council senior researcher and energy expert Tim Baxter said, “This is an exciting and critical step in realising a cleaner, cheaper, healthier future that is free of coal and gas.
“Just like the new Climate Bill and yesterday’s historic proposed rejection of the Queensland coal mine—this announcement is a symbol of Australia’s climate shift. This is exactly the kind of urgent action we need to reduce pollution this decade.
“While Europe takes great advantage of its offshore wind resources, foot dragging by the previous federal government means Australia – with world class offshore wind resources—still has no industry at all.
“Taking advantage of offshore wind brings many advantages to the grid, further improving the reliability of our power supply. Australians can see the importance of this in the current energy crisis which has been exacerbated by the fleet of failing coal and gas generators.”
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The Climate Council has put forward recommendations to the Albanese Government to build on its climate agenda to deliver deeper emissions cuts by 2030 by:
- Speeding up the transformation of our energy system to renewable power.
- Ending all government support for fossil fuel expansion.
- Focusing on electrification and energy efficiency.
- Growing good jobs by giving a major boost to clean manufacturing.
- Ending land clearing and accelerating efforts to restore degraded land and forests.
- Strengthening the laws and agencies that underpin Australia’s transition to a zero emission economy.
