Australia Designates New Offshore Wind Zone Near Bunbury

The Australian government has announced the designation of a new offshore wind area, this time located in the Indian Ocean near Bunbury, Western Australia.

According to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water, the area between Cape Naturaliste and Dawesville has the potential to generate up to 11.4 GW of renewable wind energy.

However, the designated zone is significantly smaller than initially planned. The area now covers around 4,000 square kilometers, roughly half the size of the original proposal. More than 60 percent of the initial area, including the popular Naturaliste Reef, was excluded following requests from recreational fishing groups.

Additionally, the zone has been moved further offshore, now situated about 41 kilometers from Bunbury and 55 kilometers from Busselton.

This marks the fifth offshore wind zone designated in Australia, joining previously established zones in Gippsland and the Southern Ocean in Victoria, as well as Hunter and Illawarra in New South Wales.

Although offshore wind projects in this area cannot begin construction immediately, companies interested in developing these projects can apply for feasibility licenses from September 3 to November 6.

The designation of this new offshore wind zone is a significant step for Australia, as the South West Interconnected System is projected to require an additional 50 GW of electricity by 2042.

“[This] will be made easier by offshore wind. One turn of one turbine creates as much energy as solar panels on your roof all day. And the turbine can turn around 15 times a minute. So it is a lot of energy for Western Australia,” said Australia’s energy minister Chris Bowen.