The Albanese Government has announced a consultation on a new offshore wind zone in the Southern Ocean.
The 5,100 square kilometre area stretches from Warrnambool in Victoria to Port MacDonnell in South Australia. It includes Portland, which is home to one of Australia’s largest smelters and draws up to 10 percent of Victoria’s electricity. An area this size has the capacity to support 3,000 jobs in construction and 3,000 jobs ongoing, according to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, the Hon Chris Bowen MP.
“Powering these South Australian and Victorian communities with cheaper, cleaner energy will support them to unlock new regional job opportunities in energy and manufacturing,” the Minister said.
“This area is an ideal location for offshore electricity generation and could enable up to 14GW of offshore wind to be developed, which is the equivalent of powering up to 8.4 million homes.
“Renewable energy is the foundation for Australia’s future, and I’m looking forward to hear from the local community about what they would like to see from this offshore zone.”
The Southern Ocean is one of six key regions around Australia with offshore wind potential, including locations off of Gippsland, the Hunter, the Illawarra, northern Tasmania and Perth/Bunbury.
For more information on the Southern Ocean offshore electricity area public consultation, visit https://consult.dcceew.gov.au/oei-southern-ocean
