The Australian Government has amended the planned Bunbury offshore wind zone in Western Australia (WA).
The final area covers just under 4,000km², reduced by around half from the initial 7,674km² following consultation with community groups, First Nations people, fishers, industry, local leaders and unions.
The zone in the Indian Ocean will now be at least 30km from shore at its closest point and 40–50km from coastal towns. It was originally planned to be 20km from shore.
The updated plans also exclude more than 60% of the recreational fishing areas requested for exclusion including the popular Naturaliste Reef, and provide further separation from breeding areas and migratory paths for southern right whales.
Under the new amendments, recreational fishers are expected to be able to travel and fish within the offshore wind zone.
The application period for feasibility licences in the declared Bunbury offshore wind zone opens on 3 September and closes on 6 November 2024.
The government stated that licences will only be awarded to developers whose proposed projects maximise their use of Australian supply chains and closely consult with local industry and workers on their project plans.
Construction of the zone will begin after the feasibility stage is completed and developers have gained subsequent environmental and management plan approvals.
The government anticipates that the project will create close to 7,000 jobs during construction and around 3,500 ongoing jobs in WA.
Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen commented: “With an estimated 50GW of new generation required by 2042, WA needs new sources of electricity to power homes and industry. Offshore wind can help meet that demand.”
Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy Josh Wilson added: “Adding offshore wind to WA’s diversity of renewable options is particularly important in WA’s electricity network because it is a self-contained system, unlike the interconnected system in the Eastern states.”
In May, the Australian Government, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, issued feasibility licences for six offshore wind farm projects to deliver 25GW of generation capacity as the country pushes forward with its clean energy plans.
