Hunter Central Coast Offshore Wind Zone

In 2024, HCEC will release a report detailing the environmental risks and benefits of developing offshore wind energy in the Hunter. We set out the impacts facing biodiversity and communities, and we make recomendations to mitigate them.

So - what do we know?

The balance between the pace and scale of wind energy growth and the protection of marine ecology, and other economic and social activities must be publicly evident during all stages of planning and development, construction, operation, decomisioning, and recycling.

  • Albatross’, Shearwaters’ and Petrels’ are at greatest risk from the Hunter-Central Coast Offshore Wind Zone proposal.

  • The construction of floating offshore wind farms does avoid acoustic impacts associated with pile driving, documented to be one of the most harmful impacts of OWE facing marine mammals including whales, although floating turbines present a risk of secondary entanglement in fishing debris caught on the tethers which connect to the shore and stabilize the turbines.

  • The 1.5 degree global warming threshold is expected to be surpassed in the 2030’s but carbon emission reduction efforts made this decade will be crucial in determining whether global heating stays below 2 degrees Celsius.

  • Offshore wind is projected to play a major role in the global renewable energy transition underway which requires a complementary mix of both on- and offshore wind and solar resources to meet current and projected energy use.

  • In the Hunter, offshore wind would drive massive jobs and economic growth in the region in which the coal-fired power stations across NSW is imminent and the structural decline of open-cut coal mining has commenced. There is an estimated 3000 jobs projected for the construction phase alone of offshore wind infrastructure.

  • Opportunities for local manufacturing of offshore wind components have been embraced by trade unions who have issued a call for local content rules for the Hunter’s offshore wind industry.

Image credit: Rising Tide

In June 2023, HCEC addressed the Walk for Wind Power led by Rising Tide.

In January 2024, grant funds from the Valerie Taylor Ocean Prize, allowed HCEC to commenced research into the environmental impacts of the proposed Hunter-Central Coast Offshore Wind Zone to be released in mid-2024.

In February 2024, along with trade unions, business and climate & environment groups HCEC signed a letter initiated by the Hunter Jobs Alliance to Minister Bowen, Minister Plibersek & Premier Minns calling for a range of measures to ensure community benefits & environmental protections during the development of offshore wind in the Hunter.

“The reform of Australia’s national nature protection laws that will strengthen up front protections for wildlife and habitat, and enshrine a fair say for the community in the assessment and decision making processes are urgent.”
— Hunter Community Environment Centre coordinator Johanna Lynch said.

At a Newcastle rally in support of the offshore wind industries economic growth and climate action opportunities, HCEC’s Coordinator emphasized the role communities must play in ensuring that effective protections for wildlife at risk remain a priority of Government and industry throughout the planning, construction, operational and decommissioning phases.

“We very quickly need to become world-leaders in responsible offshore wind development and crucially in avoiding bird-strike…”
— HCEC Coordinator, Jo Lynch

  • Sooty Shearwater

  • Wandering Albatross

  • Black-browed Albatross

Media

What’s next?

As of March 2024, Feasibility Licences are expected to be issued are expected to be issued to Proponents by the Commonwealth this year

Feasibility Licences grants Proponents permission to commence ecological site assessments and begin gathering essential baseline data on affected species and ecosystems.

See the Commonwealth Dept. Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) page for more details on the zone and the next steps.

The forthcoming report from HCEC charts a course for the responsible development and operation of offshore wind within the Hunter Central Coast Offshore Wind Zone.

Partners

  • Hunter Jobs Alliance

  • Nature Conservation Council of NSW