The Federal Government is a step closer to unlocking the power and jobs of offshore wind off Gippsland, with the first feasibility licences awarded for projects.
However concerns are being raised about the potential damage to both the commercial and recreational fishing industry any offshore wind project will create off the coast of East Gippsland, specifically Lakes Entrance.
Politicians, fishing bodies and community members have numerous fears the implementation of offshore wind farms could have both a direct and indirect impact on the local fishing industry, local businesses and tourism, in which the region is heavily marketed on.
Offshore wind represents a huge opportunity for regional Australia, according to the Federal Government, providing reliable renewables to power homes and heavy industry while creating thousands of highly skilled and well-paid jobs.
Six potential projects have been granted or offered feasibility licences, which means they can now start detailed assessment work to determine feasibility, including environmental studies and management plans.
Consultation with First Nations groups, communities, and marine users will continue throughout the feasibility licence process.
If feasibility is proven, developers can then apply for a commercial licence to build an offshore wind project to generate electricity commercially.
These include: High Sea Wind Pty Ltd; Gippsland Skies Pty Ltd; Blue Mackerel North Pty Ltd; Kut-Wut Brataualung Pty Ltd; Ørsted Offshore Australia 1 Pty Ltd (Gippsland 01); Star of the South Wind Farm Pty Ltd.
The government intends to grant another six licences, subject to First Nations consultation.
These include: Iberdrola Australia OW 2 Pty Ltd (Aurora Green); Greater Gippsland 2 OWP Project Pty Ltd (Gippsland Dawn); Navigator North Project Pty Ltd; Ørsted Offshore Australia 1 Pty Ltd (Gippsland 02); Kent Offshore Wind Pty Ltd; Great Eastern Offshore Wind Farm Project Co Pty Ltd.
Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said Australia’s offshore wind industry presents a huge opportunity for the regions that have powered our country for generations.
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”Australia’s first offshore wind zone has hit a new milestone, with reliable renewables and secure jobs a step closer for Gippsland,” he said.
“Granting feasibility licences is the next step to helping deliver a new clean energy industry for Australia, as well as future proof energy security and reliability for Victoria.
“I’ve awarded feasibility licences to projects that would bring the most rewards for Gippsland, its workforce and for our energy security.”
Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio said projects in the Gippsland offshore wind zone will be key to delivering the state’s renewable energy transition and meeting targets of at least two gigawatts of offshore wind energy generation by 2032, 4GW by 2035 and 9GW by 2040.
“We’re proud to be paving the way for the country’s first offshore wind farms which will harness our world class offshore wind resources and power homes and businesses across Australia with renewable energy,” she said.
“These offshore wind projects will also support thousands of jobs in Gippsland and across the supply chain – opening up new opportunities for skills development within the renewable energy industry.”
Despite the positive from the Federal and State governments, a lack of consultation and information being released by the government is one of the many concerns flagged by Game Fishing Association of Australia (GFAA), VRFish and South East Trawl Fishing Industry Association (SETFIA).
FISHING VIEW
SETFIA chief executive officer, Simon Boag, said fish catch rates have already dropped in south east Australia and there will be ongoing challenges.
“Star of the South, and may other potential developers, have worked with the shark and trawl fishing industries in good faith and we appreciate this,” SETFIA CEO, Simon Boag said.
“It may not be possible for shark gillnet vessels and trawl vessels to work within windfarms.
“The fishing industry acknowledges the Australian Government’s commitment to transition to wind energy and wants to be part of the solution. There are places within the now declared Gippsland Renewable Energy Zone that have very low overlap with commercial fishing and the industry has made representations to the Department of Climate Change, Energy and the Environment.
“The trawl industry is impacted in total by four windfarm zones (Portland, northern Tasmania, Illawarra and Gippsland). The trawl fishing industry has proposed small changes to the Portland and Illawarra zones that significantly reduce overlap.
“Landings of local fresh fish from south east Australia are the lowest ever having been impacted by marine parks, fishery closures, seismic surveys and oil/gas activity. There is a ‘spatial squeeze’ occurring in the south east Australia’s marine environment. The trawl sector is particularly concerned about French company CGG’s proposed Regia seismic survey in western Victoria – this could significantly reduce catches in the short term.”
The Game Fishing Association of Australia (GFAA) and its many members have serious concerns regarding offshore wind energy.
GFAA provided the following statement:
“Communication and consultation with recreational fishers, from both government and proponents, has been virtually non-existent and this has often led to wild speculation about the effects offshore wind energy will have on our pastime.
“As an example one report suggested that the turbines were to be situated beyond the areas fished recreationally but our records indicate that our members regularly access and either catch or tag and release pelagic species within those areas. Who did they ask about that, or was the statement made as a generalisation?
“As a group which uses these waters regularly, it appears that we have either been ignored or at least not acknowledged.
“Co-existence and access of a public resource, being our offshore waters, should be available to all. On a number of occasions Minister Bowen has assured us that recreational fishing can co-exist with offshore wind energy, but he has not yet provided any specific details on how that might occur.
“The expectation is that there will be exclusion zones around the towers, but nobody can give us any indication of their size. If, for example a 500 metre exclusion was made and the towers were one kilometre apart, entire areas would be inaccessible. That could mean having to travel all the way around an offshore zone to reach a point beyond where fish may be aggregating, making access virtually impossible.
“To our knowledge, nobody even knows how many towers are going to be placed offshore in the declared zone, with speculation that they could number in the hundreds or even thousands.
“There is grave concern regarding the effect the structures and components may have on sea life, with our specific focus on pelagic fish such as tuna and billfish, including marlin and more locally, the emerging recreational interest and effort in broadbill swordfish, a truly iconic species.
“The effect the structures may have on currents has not been fully explored. Importantly, most sea creatures use the earth’s magnetic field to navigate the oceans, be they spawning whiting or truly migratory species such as tunas and billfish.
“What is unknown is the effect that the magnetic fields created by the transmission lines running from turbines to land will have on them all and the impacts they may have. As an example, research in the North Atlantic has shown that crabs and lobsters are attracted to the cables, with proven damaging results.”
GFAA is the oldest national body of it kind in the world and has close to 10,000 members many of whom regularly fish the waters off Gippsland.
It prides itself on a strict code of conduct, focusing on tag and release fishing more than on capture.
The association is a founding member of the Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation and continues to take an active role in its operation.
Executive officer of Game Fishing Association of Victoria, Rodney Gilham, said the group’s members have not recieved effective consultation.
“Members are concerned with the industrial scale farms being proposed in high traffic fishing areas off the coast of the 90 Mile Beach. Communication regarding proposed exclusion areas haven’t allayed concerns of members during the proposed construction phase or the ongoing phase of the projects,” he said.
“With limited access to offshore fishing grounds east of Wilson’s Promontory there is disappointment that we are not being adequately consulted. Grounds off Port Albert and McLoughlins Beach are prolific for snapper, flathead, gummy sharks, whiting and an emerging population of southern bluefin tuna and kingfish.”
POLITICAL VIEW
Gippsland East MP, Tim Bull, said it was imperative any wind farm projects did not significantly impact on key fishing grounds, or provide an eye sore for peak tourism destinations like Lakes Entrance.
Mr Bull has written to the Federal Minister highlighting the importance of the Lakes Entrance fishing industry to not only the local economy, but also the State.
“The eastern end of the offshore wind zone announced by the Federal Government sits over prime fishing grounds and should be avoided on this basis alone, but in addition we do not want to be looking out from Jemmys Point or the foreshore at wind turbines on the landscape,” he said.
“We are already a net importer of seafood as a nation and the fishing sector has continually lost grounds for a variety of reasons over a long period and this has to stop.
“I do think there can be can co-existence, but it cannot be a one-way conversations where the concerns of local industries and communities are ignored,” he said.
Federal MP, Darren Chester voiced a similar sentiment saying co-existence is the key.
“I have an open mind when it comes to the proposed offshore wind farms but I have repeatedly urged the industry leaders to respect the needs of the commercial fishing industry to remain viable,” Mr Chester said.
“The fishing industry is constantly under pressure with reductions in quota and restricted fishing grounds, and simply can’t afford to lose access to productive areas.
“It should be possible for both industries to co-exist and the consultation process needs to be open and transparent.
“In terms of our future energy needs, we should be taking advantage of a range of technologies to meet the challenge of supplying reliable and affordable power while fulfilling our international agreements to reduce use emissions.
“The regions which host industrial scale renewable energy projects should get a guaranteed economic return and I’ve written to the Prime Minister to suggest we need a system where a percentage of offshore wind energy revenue is given to the host communities.”
East Gippsland Shire Council, which does not have a specific decision-making role in relation to approvals for the offshore wind energy proposal, provided the following statement:
“Council’s adopted Environmental Sustainability Strategy identifies the importance of action to reduce emissions across the whole community including the use of renewable energy.
“Council’s adopted Economic Development Strategy 2022-2032 includes a focus area as Climate Action Leaders including opportunities to grow the economy with new climate-friendly jobs, new technologies and enterprises. This includes building workforce and business capability to capitalise on new energy opportunities. To this end we are undertaking a New Energy Opportunities Study to explore investment opportunities in offshore wind and other new energy projects for East Gippsland. This work will also help inform future decision making.
“Council recognises that some potential impacts have been identified by members of the East Gippsland community associated with offshore wind energy proposals and we will ensure council’s and communities’ interests are represented in consideration of any offshore wind proposals.”
