Offshore wind projects eyeing WA’s Geographe Bay inch closer after final feasibility licences offered

Three offshore wind projects vying for a place in WA’s Geographe Bay have inched closer to development after the Federal Government offered them final feasibility licences. One Westward Wind and two Bunbury Offshore Wind Farm projects have received the green light to start detailed investigations and consultation across an almost 732sqkm site. Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the sites collectively had the potential to deliver around four gigawatts of renewable energy and could create thousands of local jobs. The Bunbury Offshore Wind project “North” was given its initial permissions in June 2025 and has the largest footprint at 280sqkm. It will be roughly 48km off Bunbury. The other two will be 42km off Bunbury. The nearest part of the zone will be more than 30km off the coast. “These licences are another important step towards up to 4GW of cleaner energy for Western Australian communities and industries,” Mr Bowen said. “And harnessing our natural resources also means creating thousands of construction jobs and ongoing maintenance roles in local supply chains, ports, and regional communities. “This is why we are getting on with the job to build an offshore wind industry in Australia.” While the North project had received earlier permissions in mid-2025, the South and Westward Wind projects were told to go back to the drawing board to resolve an overlap in their licence applications. Mr Bowen had urged both parties to work together to come up with an agreed distribution. The Westward Wind project, which is a subsidiary of Ocean Winds Spain’s EDP Renewables and France’s ENGIE, is at the southernmost part of the zone just 36km from Cape Naturaliste. Federal Assistant Energy Minister and Fremantle MP Josh Wilson said while the “South West has long been the engine room of WA’s electricity supply” the offshore wind zone would ensure it maintained the title through the clean energy transition. But the projects have been controversial, with backlash from community members who have expressed concerns about potential environmental impacts at public protests and online. Concerns have also been raised by Forrest Liberal MP Ben Small, Canning Liberal MP Andrew Hastie, and WA One Nation Senator Tyron Whitten, who have both declared their opposition to the projects. Former Opposition leader Peter Dutton had even made it an election promise to scrap offshore wind farms in WA if elected in the 2025 Federal election. Senator Whitten has described the area as a “whale super-highway” and called for a moratorium on the wind farms to protect “marine life” while Mr Small has previously accused Labor of a “botched” consultation process “that steamrolled genuine local concern”. Mr Bowen said the Albanese Government had also opened applications for research and demonstration (R&D) licences for trial and testing in Australian waters across the nation’s six offshore wind zones. He said the R&D licences would signal to domestic and international investors Australia’s intention to be a hub for technological advancement in offshore wind development.