Two offshore wind developers vying for a spot off the coast of Western Australia have resolved an overlap between their proposed projects and have been offered preliminary feasibility licences by the federal government.
Federal energy minister Chris Bowen said on Wednesday that a total of three offshore wind projects with a combined total of 2.5 gigawatts of generation capacity have now been offered feasibility licences for the Bunbury zone, which was declared in September 2024.
The Bunbury offshore wind zone covers an area of 4,000 square kilometres, around half the size originally proposed, and is split in half by a shipping zone. It sits at least 30 kms from shore at its closes point, Cape Naturaliste, and 40-50 kms from most coastal towns.
In May of this year, amid speculation the WA zone was struggling to attract interest from developers, it was revealed that four bidders were in the running for feasibility licences – although at the time Bowen said that not all four would get support, due to the reduced size of the zone.
Image: DCCEEW
Bowen, in June, offered a preliminary feasibility licence to the 1.5 gigawatt (GW) Bunbury Wind Farm Pty Ltd in the northern section of the zone, and offered a preliminary licence for the same company’s (EDF) project proposed in the southern section.
The Bunbury south project had overlapped with the proposed Westward Wind project, also offered a preliminary licence, sending the two developers into negotiations on how to proceed.
But the minister said on Wednesday that this overlap has been resolved and the two projects awarded preliminary feasibility licences, with a third project in the northern area of the zone currently in consultation for a preliminary feasibility license.
Bunbury Offshore Wind Farm Pty Ltd – both the north and south proposed projects – is being led by French energy giant EDF.
The Westward Wind project has been confirmed as a 50:50 joint venture of Spain’s EDP Renewables and France’s Engie, called Ocean Winds. The dedicated offshore wind offshoot says it has three projects in operation, globally, four under construction and and another 10 in various stages of the development pipeline.
In a statement emailed to Renew Economy on Thursday, Ocean Winds said it was pleased to have reached the next stage with its Bunbury projects, but stressed that the feasibility process remained ongoing.
“We remain attentive to the role of Traditional Owners, who are currently considering the proposed project’s impacts. We will be able to provide further comments when a final feasibility licence will be granted,” the statement says.
Should the three projects go ahead, Bowen says they could employ over 1,500 workers during construction and another 600 ongoing jobs, while also adding a further 2.5 GW of renewable energy generation capacity to the WA grid.
The minister says Traditional Owners will now have time to consider the impacts of the Westward Wind and Bunbury Offshore Wind projects before they are offered a final feasibility licence.
The developers of the proposed Catalpa Offshore Wind Farm, Wind With Purpose, are still responding to the government’s June decision not to grant them a licence for the Bunbury zone, Bowen says.
All up, federal Labor has awarded feasibility licences to projects proposing a total of 24.21 GW of renewable energy and preliminary offers for another 5.4 GW.
The three WA projects add to 12 feasibility projects currently under development on the east coast, with more to come, Bowen says.
“The Albanese government is securing Australia’s energy future with the offshore wind industry the former Coalition Government promised but failed to deliver – and Western Australia is key to our plans,” the minister said on Wednesday.
“Western Australia needs some 50 GW of additional generation by 2042, and we’re getting to work making sure that we deliver the new clean energy, and the good jobs, the West needs.”
“The remarkable wind resources located offshore from Bunbury present a huge new opportunity for this traditional power generating region to continue its momentum as a clean energy powerhouse,” said assistant minister for energy Josh Wilson.
“The Albanese government is committed to providing Western Australians with reliable, clean, and affordable energy to power homes and industry while creating thousands of highly skilled and well-paid jobs.”
*This article has been corrected to say that Bunbury Offshore Wind Farm Pty Ltd is being developed by EDF. A previous version of the article incorrectly said it was being developed by Oceanex Energy. Oceanex did not bid for the Bunbury zone.
