AUSTRALIA'S OFFSHORE WIND MARATHON:
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
* Unlike other nations girt by gale-force winds at sea, Australia does not have offshore wind farms to power homes and industry
* Coal, gas and hydro have provided energy security in the past, supplemented by solar power and onshore wind
* State and federal governments are committed to adding offshore wind to the electricity grid in the next decade as they shutter coal-fired power plants
* Projects worth $100 billion could be built around Australia by 2040, competing in a trillion-dollar global industry for capital and skills
* Too late for achieving 82 per cent renewable energy by 2030, offshore wind could be essential for 2035 climate targets and net zero emissions by 2050
* Each offshore wind farm, whether floating or fixed to the seabed, could replace an entire coal-fired power station
* Proponents point to thousands of new jobs and a tide of green capital that Australia may otherwise miss out on
* Political opposition has focused on the visual impact, potential environmental damage and loss of farmland for transmission lines
* Shipping, commercial and recreational fishing, tourism, aviation and emergency services also have a stake in the coast
* New projects must show how they will operate alongside existing businesses and industry before being approved
* Nationally, six areas are being assessed but only two zones have been declared and no feasibility licences have been granted
* Victoria's Gippsland zone, pared back on environmental grounds, was the first to be finalised (December 2022), followed by NSW's Hunter coast (July 2023)
* Bunbury in Western Australia, Bass Strait off Tasmania, the Illawarra coast of NSW, and a Southern Ocean zone off Victoria and South Australia are the other four proposed zones
* The first feasibility licences are expected to be granted in coming months for the most advanced projects
* Victoria is likely to be first into the grid with an initial two gigawatts by 2032 and 9GW of offshore wind capacity sought by 2040
* Bottlenecks include new and upgraded transmission lines to connect the new assets to homes and industry, and finding enough housing for construction workers
Australian Associated Press
