MORE OFFSHORE WIND is on the cards for Australia, with today’s Federal Government announcement of a new zone along the Hunter region, expected to generate enough to power 4.2 million homes.
The zone will bring Australia closer to being a wind energy superpower, and is expected to open up thousands of jobs, provide vast economic opportunities for the community, and support local industries to decarbonise.
The Hunter offshore wind zone is another major region earmarked in Australia following the announcement of the first offshore wind zone off the coast of Victoria’s Gippsland.
Climate Councillor, energy expert and senior lecturer at Macquarie University, School of Law, Dr Madeline Taylor said: “Offshore wind will be a key pillar of Australia’s future renewable energy mix. The Hunter offshore wind zone will fill another piece in the puzzle in decarbonising Australia’s energy system as we continue switching away from carbon-intensive fuels.
“We know renewable energy will deeply, permanently and immediately reduce emissions. As one of the windiest places on earth, Australia should be cashing in on those solutions and creating a prosperous and sustainable future.
“Australia holds the potential to generate up to 5,000 gigawatts of electricity from offshore wind using a combination of fixed and floating infrastructure.
“Australia is endowed with some of the richest and most diverse renewable energy resources. The right investment and planning in offshore wind is Australia’s golden ticket to a clean energy future.”
Climate Council CEO, Amanda McKenzie, said: “We have a huge opportunity to seize our potential and get more renewables – like offshore wind – online as we work to dramatically slash our emissions this decade.
“Wind energy is one of the cheapest ways to add new electricity supply in Australia, especially as power prices continue to bite. Ramping up the renewables rollout will bring us closer to lower power bills and less harmful carbon pollution.
“We must maintain this momentum if Australia is to become a renewable energy superpower.
“To protect Australians and tackle climate change we must rapidly phase out highly polluting fossil fuels – like coal, oil and gas – and scale up the share of clean, affordable renewables to power Australia into the future.
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