Australia’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen has announced the next two rounds of consultation for offshore wind zones in the country.
The Bass Straight region and the Perth/Bunbury zone consultations will begin in October and November, respectively.
Making the announcement at at GWEC’s APAC Summit Minister Bowen said the move “puts us firmly on track to have all six areas declared by the first half of next year”.
The inaugural APAC Summit is focused on fostering collaboration across the industry, with Chris Bowen acknowledging that he was, “providing this roadmap today because I know it will give industry certainty about the immediate path ahead”.
Minister Bowen stressed the importance of these consultations, explaining it was important to have the “conversation openly and respectfully and say ‘Yes, these are issues that need to be worked through, but here’s all the massive opportunities for our country’.”
Today’s announcement at the APAC Summit means Australia has progressed all six of its consultations within twelve months.
GWEC chief executive Ben Backwell said: “The pace of Australia’s development in the last year has been fantastic.
“Minister Bowen described Australia as being like ‘the kid studying all night to catch up’, when it came to renewable energy, but I think we can safely say the government’s work over the last twelve months now makes it a model for other countries looking to build their offshore wind sector.
“Australia has embraced international cooperation, joining the Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA) to help foster collaboration across the world.
“The Australian government has also become a model for local engagement, with the federal government’s support for the State of Victoria joining GOWA yesterday at the Summit, the first sub-national government to do so, showing it understands that engagement at all levels is crucial to delivering the full benefits of offshore wind’s potential.
“GWEC looks forward to growing its involvement in the region as Australia builds its offshore wind sector, and helps the APAC Summit deliver on its enormous offshore potential.”
The APAC Summit concludes on Thursday with an Offshore Wind Open Day, where the exhibition is free to attend for job seekers and anyone looking to gain a better understanding of what opportunities the offshore wind sector will provide.