Thousands of square kilometres of ocean off Victoria’s coast has been earmarked for a wind farm zone that could power millions of homes.
The proposed site starts at Warrnambool in western Victoria and stretches across the South Australian border to Port MacDonnell.
Public consultation opened on Wednesday and the project’s overview states no final decision has been made about the 5100 square kilometres project.
Southwestern Victoria is home to the Portland aluminium smelter, which uses about 10 per cent of the state’s electricity.
The federal government believes an offshore windfarm could create 3000 jobs in construction and a further 3000 on an ongoing basis.
Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said the proposed site is an ideal location to generate enough electricity to power 8.4 million homes.
“Renewable energy is the foundation for Australia’s future and I’m looking forward to hear from the local community about what they would like to see from this offshore zone,” Mr Bowen said.
Local residents, traditional owners, workers, industry groups and community organisations have been asked to provide feedback with submissions closing at the end of August.
In December it was revealed 15,000 square kilometres off the coast of Gippsland in eastern Victoria would become home to the country’s first offshore wind farm zone.
Other areas under consideration include the Hunter, Illawarra, northern Tasmania and areas between Perth and Bunbury.
Rachael Ward
(Australian Associated Press)
