Danish renewables developer Copenhagen Energy has revealed plans to build a 3GW offshore wind farm off the coast of Geraldton in Western Australia, according to Offshore Wind.
The Mid West offshore wind farm will comprise up to 200 turbines and six substations, delivering 3GW of renewable electricity—enough to power three million homes and businesses for up to 50 years.
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Turbines will be installed between 10km to 70km offshore from Kalbarri in an area covering 700sq km.
The region is one of six new offshore wind zones announced by the federal government.
Copenhagen Energy modelling indicates that for every 1GW of power, the Mid West offshore wind farm will create 14,500 direct and indirect jobs during construction, and 200 jobs during operation. It is expected to offset up to 6 million tonnes of CO2 a year.
Copenhagen Energy has another offshore wind farm planned for WA—the Leeuwin offshore wind farm between Mandurah and Bunbury, south of Perth. The Leeuwin project will also comprise up to 200 turbines and six substations.
Copenhagen Energy CEO Jasmin Bejdic said the company was pleased to release details of its second proposed WA project after major announcements around energy and offshore wind farms by the Federal and WA Governments.
The WA Government recently announced its plan to close state-owned coal-fired power stations and seek alternative power sources for its South West grid.
”These are exciting developments for offshore wind farms in WA and Australia,” Bejdic said.
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”Our offshore wind farms are ideally placed to contribute to the power requirements of WA into the future. Our Leeuwin and Mid West projects can supply reliable, renewable energy to replace fossil fuel-generated power, create jobs during construction and operation and help to develop new skills.
“The International Energy Agency has identified offshore wind energy as one of the ‘big three’ to provide the solution to global warming, along with onshore wind and solar.”
