The Australian Government has determined that an area in the Indian Ocean off Bunbury (Western Australia) is suitable for the development of offshore renewable energy, such as offshore wind. With a potential to generate up to 11.4 GW of renewable wind, the declared area has been reduced by approximately half of its size (from 7,674 km2 to 3,995 km2) and it has been relocated to minimise visual impact from the Australian coast and respect the requests from the community, First Nations groups, government and local industry. The development of the area could help supply the South West Interconnected System, which is expected to require about 50 GW more electricity by 2042. The government will be receiving feasibility licence applications for the area between 3 September and 6 November 2024.
Australia, which did not yet have offshore wind capacity at the end of 2023, has designated four offshore wind development zones (Gippsland, Hunter, Southern Ocean and Illawara) to support the country’s 2050 net zero emissions target.
Do you want to become an expert on renewable energies auctions?
Discover our very detailed and regularly updated RES auctions database with worldwide coverage and a technical focus backed by academic research.
With our renewable energies auctions service you will be able to monitor auctions at a global level. Its (expanding) scope notably includes all major G20 countries and offers an especially fine tracking on Europe and South America.