Companies behind offshore wind farms proposed off South West coast respond positively to zone declaration

The Federal Government’s declaration of an offshore wind farm zone in Geographe Bay has been welcomed by the companies behind two proposals. Two areas covering nearly 4000sq km off the Bunbury coast will now be open for investigations to determine if they are suitable for progressing plans for offshore wind projects in the South West. There are three being considered for the area. Danish company Copenhagen Energy is evaluating a three-gigawatt system, Melbourne-based Oceanex Energy is proposing a 2000MW wind farm, while the Myalup Offshore Windfarm Project — a joint venture between German-based Skyborn Renewables and Britain’s Australis Energy — is planning 300MW of wind power generation. Oceanex Energy chair Andy Evans said the zone’s declaration was a positive step. “I think the Government has taken into consideration a lot of the comments and submissions that have been made, listened to their views, positive or negative, but also given developers enough to work with to make the area a real success,” he said. In response to negative reactions, Mr Evans said he wanted groups to work together to understand the facts of what would be involved in building an offshore wind farm industry. “I think people (are) looking for reasons to say no rather than look for opportunities to say yes, so I think for everybody, come and have a chat about it,” he said. Mr Evans said the focus would now turn to the November 6 deadline for feasibility licences, but a licence being granted did not mean a project would go ahead. “It just gives the opportunity for proponents and communities to look at the best ways of doing it,” he said. In a statement, Copenhagen Energy said the declaration of the zone was a “significant milestone”. “However, it’s just the beginning, our next step is to apply for a feasibility licence, bringing us closer to delivering a world-class offshore wind project for Western Australia,” the statement said. “Over the past four years, we have been developing our plans, conducting environmental, social and engineering scoping studies and talking to many stakeholders. “Offshore wind can exist alongside other industries and activities and we are committed to creating a good model of co-existence by talking with stakeholders and adapting the project accordingly. “Once the feasibility licence is awarded, the feasibility stage for a project will take five to seven years. Within this period, significant survey works and stakeholder engagement would be initiated to further address the feasibility of the proposed project.” Skyborn Renewables were contacted for comment.