Offshore wind zone defined

The federal government has proposed a vast area 20 kilometres off the South West coast for wind farms, with at least four proponents already showing interest.

Consultation commences today – three months later than originally expected – on the proposed Bunbury offshore wind zone.

The zone covers an area of 7,674 square kilometres.

It is 20 km from shore at its closest point off Cape Naturaliste and Bunbury and 36km from Busselton.

The federal government says the proposed Bunbury zone is an ideal location for offshore electricity generation because of the high speed winds in the Indian Ocean and its proximity to large energy users.

It could enable up to 20GW of offshore wind to be developed – about four times the capacity of the existing South West energy grid.

The Bunbury zone was one of six foreshadowed in 2022 but is the last to commence community consultation.

The federal government has already declared two zones, off the Victorian and NSW coasts, and is proceeding with consultation on the others.

Four companies – Copenhagen Energy, Skyborn Renewables, Flotation Energy and Oceanex Energy – have previously declared their interest in building wind farms in the proposed Bunbury zone.

More are likely to follow, judging by the experience in other states, with nearly 40 groups applying to build wind farms off the Victorian coast.

The proposed WA projects include Copenhagen Energy’s Leeuwin Offshore Wind Farm.

It will comprise up to 200 turbines, with each being up to 385 metres high, delivering about 3GW of electricity a year.

The Danish company’s Development Manager Australia Joy Francis-Hayes said WA had a growing need for renewables in its future energy mix with the anticipated closure of State-owned coal-fired power stations.

“For the first time we have an indication of the area proposed for WA’s first offshore wind zone,” Ms Francis-Hayes said.

“We have been working in WA for three years, conducting initial scoping studies, assessing WA’s wind resources and talking to a range of stakeholders from government and industry to communities to understand their concerns and how we can respond during our project development.

“There is still considerable work to be done to obtain all planning and licence approvals. This consultation period is just the beginning.”

The federal government said any potential projects will be required to demonstrate their commitment to using Australian manufactured inputs, as well as provide information on use of Australian suppliers and benefits for the local economy like direct local jobs and training.

This will be used by the government in assessing the merits of project licence applications.

Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said harnessing offshore wind would unlock new job opportunities across Western Australia, while providing much needed energy security.

“Offshore wind will be a critical new clean energy industry for Western Australians as electricity demand increases, helping to provide thousands of jobs along the way.”

“The Albanese Government is committed to genuine consultation on offshore wind – that’s why we want communities, industry and businesses to have their say on an offshore wind area off WA from the very beginning.

“We encourage everyone to put in a submission and attend a community consultation session.”