Coalition broadens attack on offshore wind with pledge to scrap second declared zone

The federal Coalition has broadened its attack on the offshore wind industry it set in motion in Australia just over three years ago, with confirmation that it will now scrap two of the six development zones declared by federal Labor, if elected to government.

The federal member for Wannon, the Liberal Party’s Dan Tehan, announced earlier this month that a Dutton Coalition government will rescind the Southern Offshore Wind Zone – a 1,030 km2 area off Victoria’s south-west coast that was declared by federal Labor nearly a year ago.

In a statement and video message, Tehan accuses federal Labor of showing “complete disregard for the people of Warrnambool and Port Fairy in their desperate push to impose a renewables-only electricity grid.”

He says the Coalition has held extensive meetings and consultations with the local community and listened to their objections. It has also helped to gather them in a petition opposing the offshore wind farm signed by 7,000 people.

“Enough is enough. A Dutton Coalition government will ensure this bungled project does not proceed,” Tehan says.

The announcement, which went largely unreported by mainstream media, takes direct aim at a 1.2 gigawatt project being proposed by Alinta Energy and Parkwind, part of Japanese renewables outfit Jera Nex.

The $4 billion Spinifiex wind farm is the only project with a feasibility licence for the Southern Offshore wind zone, having been awarded it in September of last year. It forms part of Alinta’s plans to power the Portland aluminium smelter with renewable energy.

And it’s not the only multi-billion dollar project under threat from the Coalition. Peter Dutton has also promised to rescind the declared offshore wind zone off the coast of Port Stephens and the Hunter region in New South Wales, sinking the $10 billion plans for a 2 gigawatt project proposed for development there.

“The Prime Minister, and his energy minister Chris Bowen, have shown complete disregard to the people of Port Stephens, Newcastle, and the Hunter in a desperate attempt to achieve their ideological target of a renewables-only electricity grid,” Dutton said in December in a strikingly similar statement to Tehan’s two months later.

“Enough is enough, and today we are announcing that this bungled project will not proceed under a Dutton Coalition government.”

It’s a well rehearsed script that could just as easily be applied to any one of the four remaining wind zones in the weeks between now and when Australians head to the polls.

As Dutton put it in December, “The decision that we’ve taken as a Coalition is to make sure that we rip up these contracts, to make sure that we make it very clear that we will not proceed with the offshore turbines as proposed by the Albanese government.”

In a radio interview with ABC South West Victoria on February 11, federal energy minister Chris Bowen said the Coalition’s increasingly “anti renewable” approach to energy policy was creating sovereign risk.

Particularly considering it was the Coalition, when in government in late 2021, that kick-started Australia’s offshore wind industry in the first place – and set the rules governing how it should be done.

“What do we mean by sovereign risk? It’s when a government comes in and rips up contracts and people who sign contracts in good faith, you know, lose their certainty.

“I am implementing a law – I give credit where it’s due – implementing a law, and that law outlined how the consultation process should work, how long it goes out for consultation. All that was passed by the Morrison government with Dan Tehan speaking in favour of it,” Bowen said.

“When [Tehan] was in government he supported offshore wind and gave a speech in parliament talking about how important it would be for the Portland aluminium smelter.

“So, you know, if someone’s consistent in their views I respect that, but when they change them for political reasons I am a lot more suspicious.”

Bowen notes that, following a two-month period of consultation on the Southern Ocean zone that received 3285 submissions – the originally proposed 5,000 km2 area was reduced down to 1000 km2. The Spinifex project, which has a preliminary licence but is by no means approved, covers 265 km2.

“This is a very rigorous process. It’s not designed to get offshore wind up and running tomorrow or next week or next month or next year. It will be several years before we get there,” Bowen said.

“That’s because we take it so carefully. And, again, as I said, credit where it’s due – it’s actually the process outlined by a law that Scott Morrison passed and Dan Tehan voted for.”

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