New offshore wind zone mapped out off north coast of Tasmania

The federal government has opened consultation on Australia’s fifth offshore wind energy development zone, proposing an area of more than 10,000 square kilometres off the north coast of Tasmania, in the Bass Strait.

The proposed Bass Strait offshore wind zone, put forward for feedback Tuesday, extends from Bridport to Burnie, with its distance from the shore ranging from a minimum of 20km away, to well over 50km in many places.

Federal energy minister Chris Bowen says the proposed zone is “critical” to Tasmania’s ambition to get to 200 per cent renewables and to support long-term energy security for local heavy industry in Tasmania.

“The Bass Strait is renowned for its offshore wind resource – and this potential zone could transform Tasmania into a new clean energy powerhouse, spurring investment in Tasmanian communities, providing energy security for decarbonising heavy industry and creating thousands of jobs,” he said.

“This consultation period is vital for communities, industry and businesses to have their say … from [the] earliest stages, and we encourage everyone to put a submission in or attend a community consultation.”

The call for feedback on the Bass Strait zone comes amid reports of growing – and sometimes bizarre – opposition to offshore wind in a number of communities in NSW, where one development zone has been declared off the coast of the Hunter region and another is being proposed off the coast of the Illawarra.

The Hunter zone was formally declared in July, as a nearly 2,000km square area in the Pacific Ocean, which stretches between Swansea and Port Stephens, and will be the first in Australia to host floating turbines.

The Illawarra zone is currently proposed for a 1400km2 area off the coast of Wombarra, a northern suburb of Wollongong, south to waters off Gerringong, and between 10km to 30km out to sea.

It has so far gained support from local councils, the University of Wollongong and the Maritime Union of Australia, but is facing opposition from a number of community-based groups who are conducting social media campaigns against its approval.

Australia’s first official offshore wind development zone was formally declared in the Bass Strait off the coast of Gippsland in Victoria in December 2022.

A second development area proposed for off the coast of Victoria, the Southern Ocean zone, was opened for consultation in June, and proposes an area of 5,100 square kilometres stretching from Warrnambool in Victoria to the border of South Australia, with the potential to host up to 14GW of offshore wind capacity.

All up the Albanese government has earmarked six zones around Australia for offshore wind development, including in the Indian Ocean region off Perth/Bunbury.

On the proposed Bass Strait zone, submissions can be made up until January 31, 2024, and consultation will include five community drop-in sessions along the north coast of Tasmania and on Flinders Island in December, with more sessions to come in late January 2024.

More details here.