A newly proposed offshore wind zone located in Victoria’s Southern Ocean is set to create thousands of new construction jobs.
Only the third officially declared offshore wind zone nationwide, the 1,030 km2 renewable project will generate over 2.9 GW of energy – enough to power over 2 million homes.
The proposal will help secure reliable and cheaper energy for households and businesses across Victoria while also helping Australia reach its net zero by 2050 carbon targets.
The wind zone is predicted to bring up to 1,740 jobs during construction and 870 ongoing operation jobs, including engineers, labourers, technicians, operators, riggers, divers, and administrators.
Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen says the government’s announcement of the project was a positive step towards Australia’s clean energy future.
“The Southern Ocean offshore wind zone has the potential to create thousands of new, high-value jobs and help secure cleaner, cheaper, more reliable energy for regional Victoria,” Minister Bowen said.
“Australia has abundant renewable energy, the cheapest form of energy, and the government is committed to helping Australians benefit from these natural resources, including offshore wind.”
Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio says the construction of ocean-based would provide residents with more affordable clean energy.
“Victoria is leading the way in offshore wind, with the first wind zones in the country declared off the coast of Gippsland and the southwest coast,” said Minister D’Ambrosio.
“This is another step closer to delivering our target of at least 2 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2032 and will also help us get to net zero by 2045.”
The proposed project initially received backlash from environmentalists who thought its original 5,000 sq km size would threaten the natural ecosystem and environment.
Initial zoning
The total size of the exploration area has since been significantly reduced before the federal government’s invitation for developer consultation, which will the local ecosystem, including a significant blue whale feeding zone.
The rezoned area now avoids includes sites off South Australia, with the proposed project pencilled carefully around the Bonney Upwelling, Deen Maar Island and vital shipping routes.
Revised zoning
Pat Simons, spokesperson for the environmental justice group Friends of the Earth, says the reduced size would help demonstrate the feasibility of ecologically sustainable offshore wind.
“Offshore wind will play a critical role in cutting polluting greenhouse gas emissions by powering millions of homes with clean, renewable energy and is a much better choice than coal and gas,” he said.
“Governments need to match ambition on offshore wind with better marine planning that protects sensitive ecosystems…” Simons said.
Developers will need approval for environmental and management plans and conduct industry and jobs benefit analysis before construction can begin.
Feasibility licence applications for offshore wind projects in the Southern Ocean zone are now open until July 2nd.
