The Climate Council has welcomed the Federal Government’s announcement that it will investigate six proposed regions to host offshore wind energy projects.
With the Hunter region named as one of the six, the Central Coast is bound to enjoy flow-on benefits including expanded job opportunities.
Public consultation on one of the proposed areas, the Bass Strait off Gippsland, will begin immediately, with the Government set to work with communities, environmental groups, industry and the maritime sector as it establishes the new industry.
The Government said full details of the other proposed regions would be announced “in due course”.
Climate Change and Energy Minister, Chris Bowen, said unlocking the power of offshore wind in Australia will help power the nation.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
Bowen said estimates for the job opportunities of an offshore wind industry in Australia range from 3000-8000 jobs annually.
“Where offshore wind has been established in other countries, the main pathways into the industry have been from the energy sector and existing offshore industries,” Bowen said.
“Unlocking the offshore wind industry is an exciting new chapter for Australia and we want to build a platform of community collaboration and support around it.
“We have some of the best wind resources in the world – just one rotation of one offshore wind turbine provides as much energy as an average rooftop solar installation generates in one day.
Bowen said the new industry will provide opportunities to reduce emissions and fast track job and economic development opportunities for regional Australia particularly in clean energy generation and manufacturing.
“Many other countries have been successfully harvesting offshore wind energy for years, and now is the time for Australia to start the journey to firmly establish this reliable and significant form of renewable energy.”
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water will facilitate the consultation process in the proposed regions.
Climate Council Senior Researcher and energy expert, Tim Baxter, said the announcement was “an exciting and critical step in realising a cleaner, cheaper, healthier future that is free of coal and gas”.
“This announcement is a symbol of Australia’s climate shift (and) exactly the kind of urgent action we need to reduce pollution this decade,” he said.
“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.
Climate Councillor, energy expert and senior lecturer at Macquarie University, School of Law, Dr Madeline Taylor, said the move would provide a positive market signal for industry and communities.
“If all of our proposed offshore wind farms were built, their combined energy capacity would be greater than all of Australia’s coal-fired power stations,” she said.
The Climate Council is urging the 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; and strengthening the laws and agencies that underpin Australia’s transition to a zero emission economy.
Terry Collins