Consultation opens on Illawarra offshore wind zone

The zone covers 1461 square kilometres of ocean and will be between 10 and 30 kilometres offshore.

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The consultation phase is the next step forward in plans to create a massive offshore power station, where spinning turbines would generate 4.2 gigawatts of electricity, enough to power up to 3.4 million homes.

Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the offshore wind zone has the potential to create 2500 construction jobs and 1250 ongoing roles in the upkeep and maintenance of the turbines.

"Offshore wind is energy rich and jobs rich but despite having some of the best wind resources in the world, Australia doesn't currently have any offshore wind," he said.

"This presents a huge economic opportunity for the regions that help power Australia - like the Illawarra, to continue to power our nation for generations to come."

Illawarra residents can make their views known at six community information sessions in Bulli, Port Kembla, Wollongong, Shellharbour, Kiama and Gerringong in September and provide feedback online until October 16.

Companies hoping to build offshore wind farms have already floated their plans with the Illawarra, and reaction has been split.

In December 2022, Kiama Council voted 5-4 against a wind farm off the coast of the municipality and one offshore wind hopeful, BlueFloat Energy, said public opposition in Kiama was definitely a factor in its plans to shift its plans north.

A subsequent community consultation session in Thirroul in June 2023 drew vociferous support and opposition, with some residents concerned about the visual impact of the turbines and the impact on property prices, while others were supportive of the potential for offshore wind in the Illawarra to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation.

Mr Bowen said he hoped to hear from all sides.

"This is a genuine consultation and I encourage all community members to get involved and have their say on the proposed zone."

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The Illawarra zone is the fourth offshore wind area opened to community consultation, following the Bass Strait off Gippsland, the Pacific Ocean off the Hunter and the Southern Ocean Region off Victoria and South Australia.

Consultation in the Hunter closed in April and drew 1916 submissions. Two thirds of the submissions opposed the proposal while thirty per cent were supportive.

Opposition focused on concerns with the environment and marine life, impacts on views and interaction with fishing zones.

A final declaration of the Hunter offshore wind zone reduced the size of the overall zone, and moved it further offshore.

In the Illawarra, moving the offshore wind zone further offshore may put it into conflict with military exercise areas.

Victoria is targeting generating two gigawatts of offshore wind by 2032 from zones off the coast of the southern state, seeing the technology as key for the state to move away from coal-fired power. The NSW and federal governments have not yet set targets, but have been encouraged to do so.

The International Energy Agency has termed offshore wind variable baseload power, due to the large amount of power offshore wind turbines can generate and their relative consistency when compared with onshore wind and solar.

Leading economist Ross Garnaut told the Mercury in May that offshore wind would be a key ingredient in developing green industries such as green steel and green hydrogen, as it can generate the large amounts of consistent power required for these energy hungry indsutries.

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In a speech as part of the Illawarra Clean Energy Summit, Minister Bowen will tell local industry leaders on Monday, August 13 that the opening of consultation on the wind farm zone is a major step forward for the region's green credentials.

"For green hydrogen and the work of companies like Hysata to be viable, we are going to need to generate plenty more renewable energy," he will say.

"Offshore wind has a role to play, powering industries in the Illawarra and contributing to decarbonisation everywhere."

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