Australia is a step closer to becoming an offshore wind superpower, with a landmark new offshore wind announcement touted to bring jobs and economic opportunities, after years of waiting for the door to open on this booming global industry. 

Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen today announced six proposed regions for New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia that have world-class offshore wind potential.

Public consultation on the proposed Bass Strait off Gippsland area will begin immediately, as the Federal Government works with communities, environmental groups, industry and the maritime sector to ensure communities are appropriately engaged in establishing this new industry.

The other regions for offshore wind energy projects include:

• The Pacific Ocean region off the Hunter in NSW
• The Pacific Ocean region off the Illawarra in NSW
• The Southern Ocean region off Portland in Victoria
• The Bass Strait region off Northern Tasmania
• The Indian Ocean region off Perth/Bunbury, WA.

Details of these five regions and the public consultation processes will be announced soon.

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.

Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the world’s climate emergency is Australia’s regional jobs opportunity and offshore wind is just one example.

“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.

“This 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.

For more information about how to participate in the consultation process for the Bass Strait area off Gippsland, Victoria, please visit https://consult.industry.gov.au/oei-gippsland