Fact sheet: Propelling Australia's switch to clean power with offshore wind - experts available for interview
Climate Media Centre
Thanks to the strong and consistent winds at sea, Australia has significant potential to generate vast amounts of clean, reliable power with offshore wind. If all the current proposed offshore wind farms were built, their combined energy capacity would be greater than all of Australia’s coal-fired power stations.
Here are seven key things to know about offshore wind in Australia.
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Offshore wind generation can play a valuable role in our grid by making the most of the strong and consistent winds at sea
There’s huge potential for the offshore wind industry in Australia, as our wind resources are among the world’s best, up there with the North Sea between Britain and Europe (the world’s leading offshore wind region). In fact, there is enough wind potential just off our shores to power our entire electricity grid several times over. If all the offshore wind farms being proposed are built, they would collectively be capable of producing more energy than all of Australia’s remaining and ageing coal-fired power stations (Teske et al 2022).
Offshore winds are stronger and more consistent than onshore winds, meaning the energy generation capacity of offshore wind is greater and more reliable than onshore. A combination of onshore and offshore wind, together with solar, batteries and pumped hydro will provide a diverse mix of generation and storage to power us reliably around the clock as our ageing, unreliable fleet of coal-fired power stations retire.
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Offshore wind will create new opportunities for our communities and economy as we phase out fossil fuels
If we embrace the offshore wind industry and start building large projects in the next few years, we could boost Australia’s economy by up to $15.2 billion. Offshore wind projects could create up to 4000 construction jobs, and more than 7500 ongoing operations and maintenance roles will provide new regional employment opportunities. At its peak, the industry could employ up to 17,000 Australians.
Many of the jobs and economic opportunities would be created in regional areas that already have major energy infrastructure and a skilled workforce. Around 70 per cent of traditional power generation sector workers and 90 per cent of maritime industry workers already have core skills needed to work in offshore wind, and can switch to jobs in offshore wind with minimal training.
Due to its scale, offshore wind can help provide more affordable energy for existing manufacturing, and could help attract private investment in related industries such as renewable hydrogen and local wind turbine manufacturing. There are also opportunities to co-locate blue economy industries such as aquaculture, green hydrogen development and tourism alongside offshore wind farms.
As with any development, due consideration needs to be given to the location of offshore wind projects. This needs to be done in close consultation with local communities, with any environmental impact minimised. Genuine consultation is essential, and sharing the ongoing benefit of such development with local communities is best practice.
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Six offshore wind areas have been declared in Australia, and many projects are powering ahead
The Australian Government has declared six offshore wind areas off the coast of Australia, informed by consultation with state and territory governments and the public (DCCEEW 2025):
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Gippsland, Vic (11 active feasibility licences)
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Hunter, NSW (no active feasibility licences)
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Southern Ocean, Vic (one feasibility licence granted)
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Illawarra, NSW (feasibility licence applications closed 15 August 2024)
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Bass Strait, Tas (feasibility licence applications closed 10 April 2025)
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Indian Ocean off Bunbury, WA (one feasibility licence has been offered)
These areas have been chosen as they have strong and consistent winds, are close to areas of high electricity demand, and have existing transmission, transport and port infrastructure. Industry has also indicated interest in developing projects in these areas.
As Australia develops its offshore wind industry, we are learning from experiences both here and overseas. For example, while fixed offshore wind turbines have been operating around the world for decades, floating offshore projects – like the Novocastrian (Hunter) and Bluefloat (Gippsland) proposals – are a new technology. Floating turbines can be placed at greater depths than fixed turbines, making the most of even stronger winds further out at sea. The technology is still developing, with the first commercial-scale projects being switched on in Europe this year. As the technology develops and costs fall, it is likely Australia will see successful floating offshore wind projects. In the meantime, fixed offshore wind projects are powering ahead.
The Gippsland offshore wind area was the first to be declared in 2022, and is home to the Star of the South project, proposed about 10km off the south coast of Gippsland – Australia’s most advanced offshore wind project. Pending all necessary approvals, Star of the South aims to connect to the grid around 2030 to support Victoria’s 2 GW by 2032 offshore wind energy target. It has the potential to supply up to 20% of Victoria’s electricity needs (Star of the South 2025).
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The costs of offshore wind are falling as technologies and economies of scale improve.
The costs of offshore wind projects are falling globally due to technological development and economies of scale as the offshore wind industry booms. In Australia, the capital costs for offshore wind projects have fallen from more than $7,000 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in 2018, to under $5,000 in 2024 (CSIRO 2025). This is more than onshore wind, but far less than new gas and coal projects when taking into account the carbon capture and storage infrastructure that would be required to meet national and state climate pollution targets. As Australia’s offshore wind industry develops, costs are expected to continue to fall. In the UK, investment in offshore wind has helped drive rapid cost reductions for projects, with prices in 2022 70% lower than they were in 2015 (Australian Energy Council 2024).
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Offshore wind is a tried and tested technology, and Australia can learn from the experiences around the world to build its offshore wind capacity.
Offshore wind has been successfully powering other parts of the world for decades, and will play a critical role in the global race to net zero (International Energy Agency 2025). A number of Australia’s trading partners and strategic allies have set high targets for offshore wind generation, including the United Kingdom (UK), the European Union, South Korea, and Japan. The UK is a world leader in offshore wind, with 15GW of operational capacity from 45 wind farms, accounting for more than 20% of global offshore wind capacity. Already, offshore wind has the capacity to power 15 million UK homes. The offshore wind industry currently employs more than 40,000 people across the UK, and this is expected to reach more than 100,000 by 2030 as the UK races towards its target to reach 50 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030 (RenewableUK).
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Building offshore wind is leaps and bounds better for ocean wildlife than polluting fossil fuels, especially offshore gas and oil.
There are lots of false claims about the negative impacts of offshore wind circulating online, perpetuated by bad actors. In reality, scientists across the board agree that the biggest threat to whales and our oceans is climate change that’s fuelled by the burning of coal, oil and gas (AMCS 2025). Scientists have also confirmed that there is no evidence to link whale stranding or deaths to offshore wind energy development (United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).
However, like any development, offshore wind projects can have environmental impacts. Many of these impacts can be mitigated or avoided with appropriate consultation and project design, and offshore wind farms can even have ecological benefits, such as artificial reef and refugia creation, which support biodiversity (AMCS 2025). In contrast, seismic blasting carried out for offshore oil and gas projects is extremely loud and can deafen whales and kill their primary food source, plankton, as well as harming other marine life (AMCS 2023). Offshore wind surveys are much, much quieter, because they’re just mapping the sea bed, rather than firing loud blasts and drilling into the sea floor (AMCS 2025).
More than 90% of a wind turbine’s components, primarily metals, can be readily recycled using existing infrastructure in Australia (RE-Alliance 2025). More research and development is needed to scale up solutions to recycle parts of turbines that are currently more challenging to recycle, but some trials have already proven successful. Wind turbine blades have been successfully recycled to make concrete, surfboards and even pairs of shoes. Some turbine manufacturers are also developing blades that are more recyclable.
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Areas with offshore wind debates embraced renewable energy in the 2025 election.
Polling has shown that 60 per cent of Australians support offshore wind. At the 2025 election, Australians endorsed the progress that’s already been made by the first term Labor (ALP) government, and backed a renewable-powered future. The ALP’s two-party preferred support increased in most seats with offshore wind debates, despite significant campaigns against the projects (Climate Council 2025). By the next election, Australia’s main grid is expected to be more than two-thirds powered with renewables and storage – making this switch unstoppable.
To arrange interviews, please contact:
Gabrielle Platt on 0493 442 307, or [email protected]
Available for interview:
Ty Christopher, Director Energy Futures Network at the University of Wollongong, former General Manager, Asset Management with Endeavour Energy.
0418 207 130
Tony Wolfe worked in electricity generation in the Latrobe Valley for more than 40 years, and sits on various committees including Star of the South community advisory committee, and Regional Development Australia Gippsland.
0418 589 533
Satya Tanner, CEO of LAUTEC Australia. She has a background of 16 years in the Royal Australian Air Force as a Pilot and Engineer as well as 10 years in the offshore wind industry. Satya has a Bachelor of Aeronautical Engineering.
0451 917 083
Samantha Vine, Nature Conservation Leader, currently managing the Australian Marine Conservation Society’s projects to support a nature positive offshore renewable energy transition.
0451 917 083
Associate Professor Joel Gilmore is a Climate Council Councillor and a leading energy expert with more than 15 years’ experience in Australia’s energy market, specialising in renewable energy, green fuels and firming technologies. He is currently General Manager, Regulation & Energy Policy at Iberdrola Australia and an Associate Professor at Griffith University’s CAEEPR centre.
To speak with Joel Gilmore, contact Warwick Green at the Climate Council Media Team [email protected] / 0439 647 144