The Australian Government has released new guidance to help developers, researchers, scientists and other interested parties apply for research and demonstration licences in declared offshore wind zones.
The government has identified six priority areas in Australia for offshore wind: the Hunter and Illawarra in New South Wales, Gippsland and Southern Ocean in Victoria, Bass Strait in Tasmania, and Indian Ocean off Bunbury in Western Australia.
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“Research and demonstration licences will allow development and testing of offshore renewable energy technology, ensuring Australia is a home for renewable investment, innovation and development,” the Department of Climate Chance, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) said in a statement.
“These projects might include using monitoring equipment such as special buoys to assess the feasibility of a region, or demonstration projects to investigate viability of new technology before applying for a feasibility licence to progress to a full commercial project.”
Research and demonstration licences last for 10 years and will be available across all six declared areas. Applications will be assessed for their appropriateness and projects will require community consultation.
Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said researching and developing offshore energy technology would help harness Australia’s renewable energy resources.
“These research and demonstration licences are a big green light to domestic and international investors, signalling that Australia wants to be home to the next technological advance when it comes to offshore renewable development,” he said.
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“Our first priority for Australia’s offshore renewables areas is to deliver cleaner and cheaper energy, we know there’s a huge reserve of renewable resources on offer if we can develop the technology to harness it.
“Australian waters are the perfect place to research and develop these technologies, demonstrate their viability and work towards turning our clean energy potential into gigawatts of power.”
