Australia’s federal government is continuing to move forward with its efforts to develop the offshore wind power industry by declaring the first offshore wind zone in the Indian Ocean. With the declaration of the sixth offshore zone in Australia, the government tomorrow, September 3, will begin accepting applications for feasibility licenses.
Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Brown said the declared area was a vital step towards securing Western Australia’s energy grid with reliable renewable energy. The government has estimated that 50 GW of new energy generation will be required in Australia by 2042, noting that Western Australia needs new sources of electricity.
Plans for the Indian Ocean wind energy zone were announced in February with the government opening a period of consultation. The minister reports they received over 2,600 submissions which provided valuable information that was used to inform the decision on the area. They note that the final declaration is for a smaller area, about half the size first envisioned. They also set the distance from shore as well as the spacing of the proposed turbines to ensure access to fishing areas and commercial shipping. Approximately 60 percent of the requested areas for recreational fishing were removed from the zone and it was moved to place it further away from known Southern Right Whale habitats.
The ministry highlights that the Indian Ocean area near the Bunbury region is well-suited due to its strong, consistent winds and proximity to areas of high electrical demand. They also highlighted the existing power grid for connections and the scheduled shutdown in the future of coal-fired power stations.
The declared area is just under 4,000 square kilometers (nearly 1 million acres) and has the potential to provide 11.4 GW of electricity, which they note is enough to power all the homes and manufacturing industries in the South West of Australia. The declared zone is at least 30 km (more than 18 miles) from shore and as much as 30 miles offshore. They said access for shipping to the Port of Bunbury, which they expect would become a support port for the industry, as well as to Fremantle is maintained under the plan.
The application period for feasibility licenses is beginning and runs till November 6. The ministry highlights it is the beginning of a process with today’s declaration making it possible to proceed to further exploration. Construction of wind farms can only begin after the feasibility is completed and developers present plans that would require environmental and management approval as well.
The Indian Ocean area is the last of the areas being explored. Australia started the process by defining areas in the southeast and south of the country and those are also proceeding through feasibility and the submission of the first offshore wind energy project plans.
