Offshore Wind Proposal

Electrify 2515 supports the development of offshore wind capacity in our region provided it meets rigorous environmental impact standards and the community shares in its benefits.

Right now, the Federal Government is seeking community input before 15 November 2023 on a potential wind farm zone in the Illawarra. The details have not yet been determined so we have an opportunity to ensure that this project is done in a way that helps secure the future of our environment, community and economy. Together we can get this right.

Why Electrify 2515 supports offshore wind

Electrify 2515 started because people in our community believe that we can show Australia - and the world - what the next version of the energy system will look like and because we need significant action if we are to stop the climate crisis. Why do we need offshore wind?

Future energy is now

The world is moving to net zero carbon. The coal trains that rumble along our escarpment will, at some point in the next few decades, stop. Offshore wind will play a key role in that system and provides a reliable source of power. The wind blows stronger at night, and complements Australia’s incredible solar resources during the day. Together they can provide sustainable energy around the clock.

Communities can benefit

We have immense wind resources, a skilled workforce, existing port infrastructure and strong electricity grid connections making this an opportunity for our region to become a thriving industrial precinct and provide our kids with diverse job opportunities as they grow up. While clean energy will power millions of homes, thousands of direct and indirect jobs will be created not just during construction phase but also during the 30 odd years of operation (salty conditions make for a lot of required maintenance - which is a good thing for jobs).

Not to mention less reliance on foreign oil, more money for our local economy, supporting manufacturing with reliable power, cleaner air and healthier communities.

The climate is in crisis

Climate change is an immense threat to our local and planetary environment. Warming of the Southern Ocean is already affecting the feeding grounds for the whales that migrate up and down our coast every year. We are currently well off-track to meet what the global science recommends is needed if we are to avoid catastrophic impacts. We know that burning fossil fuels for energy is a leading cause of climate change and we must transition to renewable sources of energy urgently. Offshore wind farms plays a key role in that transition off polluting fossil fuels due to its capacity and reliability.

Demand a better outcome for our community and environment

We think this potential project is important to our energy future, to our community’s jobs and economy, and to fighting climate change. But we should demand the highest standards are applied.

It’s still early in the process, and as a community we have lots of power to influence the outcome. Electrify 2515 believes we should all:

1) Demand a rigorous environmental impact process

We must have a clear and thorough Environmental Impact Statement - paid for by a developer but independently conducted and assessed - before any project can be supported. We need to have best practice protection of our marine life and sea birds imposed on the construction, operation, and disposal of any offshore wind farm. Some specific suggestions we recommend include:

  • Speed limits of 10 knots on all ships to avoid ship strikes; a serious risk to whales

  • Measures to minimise acoustic impacts during construction

  • Monitoring for nearby whales before starting loud underwater construction activities

  • Draw from local expertise including First Nations communities and academia

So far, the evidence suggests that offshore wind is safe overall for marine life, and might even have positive impacts for fish populations by creating artificial reefs. But we must keep monitoring the impacts of the project across its lifetime.

2) Demand commitments to local manufacturing, jobs and training

The economic benefits of offshore wind should flow to workers and local businesses, not just to private shareholders. The project should have a minimum commitment to support local manufacturing, jobs and training.

  • Provide jobs guarantees for Illawarra residents at all tiers of employment and all stages of the wind farm life cycle.

  • Wind turbines are mostly made of steel. Luckily, we make that here! This project must use local manufacturing processes for wind energy components that can supply the renewables roll-out across Australia and the world.

  • The most promising ‘green steelmaking’ processes need either hydrogen - which you can make with electricity - or just heaps of electricity. This project should be linked to converting Port Kembla’s facilities to green steel production.

  • Australia needs more than 10,000 additional electricians and other skilled workers to support new energy technologies. This project should fund training for our existing workforce and new workers.

3) Demand genuine engagement with traditional owners

The Dharawal people have lived in this place for tens of thousands of years. They have cultivated a deep understanding of the complex land and sea ecosystems that support a sustainable way of life here.

The process to establish the offshore wind zone must engage in deep listening and co-design with traditional owners to deliver relational water and land management practices that recognise the complexity of the ecosystem on the Illawarra coast and beyond.

The project should also ensure that First Nations people, communities and organisations share in the benefits and opportunities of this resource, with economic participation and funding that helps to close the gaps created by the extraction economics of the past.

4) Demand the community shares in the benefits

Wind farms are expensive to build and maintain, and investors will expect a return on their capital. Our community should expect a return on this precious public resource too.

Guaranteed community benefits should be built into the design of the project. We’ve got some ideas (let us know yours!):

  • A contribution of 1c/kwh generated - which could be worth up to $150 million per year - could be spent or distributed in a number of ways to benefit our community. For instance it could go to the local government for upgrading roads, playgrounds, and beach facilities / SLSCs. Or that $150 million could ensure every one of the 129,000 households in the Illawarra receive a $1200 discount each year off their rates or as an electrification rebate. Or the 120 public schools in the Illawarra could receive $1.2 million each to spend upgrading their facilities…

  • Funding for walking and bicycle path connections and upgrades along the length of the coastline, to encourage tourism and local active transport options

  • EV chargers that are free when it’s windy

  • Funding for native rehabilitation programs to control invasive species like lantana along the coastline

Take action for a better outcome

The more people in our community who will fight for a quality outcome from this proposed offshore wind zone, the better it will end up. We encourage you to make a submission that supports the proposal and demands the best outcome for our environment, community and economy.

When making your submission, you will complete a “survey” to make your submission and it must be completed before 11:59 pm on November 15, 2023. It starts by asking “your standpoint on the proposed area” and we encourage you to click “supportive”.

It will then ask you to “Please outline any benefits, issues or concerns related to… Environment / Community and onshore transmission / Fishing / Visual Impacts / Other” within each section we suggest you incorporate some of the demands listed above to ensure the project is of highest standard and benefit.

If you have any questions or concerns, please get in touch.

Further Reading