“The Clean Energy Council welcomes Minister Bowen’s announcement today which saw the awarding of feasibility licences to two additional Australian offshore wind projects – the Equinor and Oceanex-developed Novocastrian offshore wind farm in the Hunter offshore wind area and the Alinta and JERA Nex-developed Spinifex offshore wind farm in the Southern Ocean region.
“With a combined capacity of over 3 GW, these projects will generate enough energy to power over 2 million homes or half of the Victoria and NSW industrial energy demand.
“These additional two licences bring the total awarded capacity across the Gippsland, Hunter and Southern Ocean offshore wind areas to over 28 GW, with the most progressed projects on track to deliver clean offshore electricity into our grid by the early 2030s. This also stands to boost the economy by up to $9.5 billion over the next 30 years, attracting a projected total of $100 billion in capital investment to Australia.
“The move is a nod to the 17,000 thousand high-value local jobs to be created, including construction, operation, and maintenance jobs, delivering economic benefits for coastal towns and regions, to the tune of $2 billion in average annual operating expenditure.
“The jobs that we can expect to see delivered by the announced Star of the South and BlueScope Steel partnership in the Illawarra region, to build boat landing and offshore foundation platforms are also an example of the local content capabilities already on our shores.
“We also congratulate the Blue Mackerel North project on receiving the inaugural approval of a management plan from the Offshore Infrastructure Registrar. This is excellent progress for the entire Australian offshore wind sector as we continue deepening our understanding of the marine environment these projects operate in.
The offshore wind sector is on the path to contributing to Australia’s future energy mix and we acknowledge the extensive work from the Albanese Government to build on the legislative framework established by the former Morrison government for this critical segment of our energy transition.Morgan Rossiter Clean Energy Council General Manager - Offshore Wind
“We look forward to continuing to work with all levels of government, industry, supply chains and communities in key offshore wind zones as the industry continues to evolve.”
ENDS
For more information or to arrange an interview, contact:
Liam Straughan
Clean Energy Council Media Officer
+61 409 470 683