Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has rejected plans for what would have been Australia’s first offshore wind farm at Victoria’s Port of Hastings due to alleged “unacceptable impacts” on the local environment and wildlife.
A key reason evoked for the veto was the potential damage to the wetlands, notably the habitat of the sharp-tailed sandpiper. This bird species, recently listed as vulnerable, migrates to the region from as far as Siberia.
The Port of Hastings Corporation had submitted environmental referrals for the terminal to be built in Long Island Drive, Hastings. However, the government’s intervention has effectively put a halt to the project.
Australia has only recently joined the global efforts to develop renewable energy from offshore wind farms. The country went through a lengthy process of setting the regulatory framework before selecting the coast off Victoria to host the country’s first projects. The area selected in 2022 focuses on a stretch of the coast covering a little more than 12 miles in the Gippsland region near the town of Golden Beach.
Victoria has a goal of developing 2 GW from offshore wind by 2032 and 9 GW by 2040. However, one of the many challenges has been a review that determined none of the ports in the region were suited to supporting the development of large offshore wind farms.
Plans were developed at the state-owned Port of Hastings which called for dredging approximately 227 acres including a wetlands area. They planned to reclaim approximately 70 acres to create a large-scale staging and assembly point for the country’s first two offshore wind farms.
Under Australian law, the decision is a final ruling without a means for appeal. The state government or the port operator however has an option to take the federal government to court.
While the future of offshore wind farms remains a challenge in Australia, the number onshore wind farms has more than tripled in a decade. Some 110 wind farms generate 10GW of capacity, accounting for 30% of grid supply on the eastern seaboard.
(Photo is a rendering of the proposed wind port assembly and staging area by the Port of Hastings Corporation)
