The federal government has declared an offshore wind zone in Bass Strait, 30 kilometres off Tasmania’s north coast. The new zone is smaller and further away from the coastline than the original proposal, leaving some wind farm proponents wondering if it’s in the right spot.
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00:00Federal and state energy ministers visiting Bell Bay on Tasmania's northern coast to declare
00:08an offshore wind zone in Bass Strait.
00:11It's a good day for jobs, it's a good day for energy and it's a good day for Tasmania.
00:15This is the beginning of a new stage, a very new and exciting prospect.
00:23The newly declared zone spans from Wynyard to Bridport.
00:27It's smaller than the original proposal at about 7,000 square kilometres and is about
00:3230 kilometres from the coast instead of the original 20.
00:38At its peak, the zone could generate 20 gigawatts of round-the-clock power, but the turbines
00:44won't be spinning any time soon.
00:46This isn't something about tomorrow or the next day or next week or even next year.
00:50It'll take several years to get offshore wind up and running because it's a long process
00:54and we're starting from scratch.
00:55Offshore wind developers now have until March to apply for a feasibility licence, but there
01:00are calls for that date to be extended, with the zone now smaller and further away from
01:05Tasmania than expected.
01:09Some wind power proponents are concerned about that distance.
01:13That puts you in much deeper water which makes the value proposition for floating turbines
01:19and offshore turbines not quite as strong.
01:23We still have work to do to look carefully at the zone that has been declared, but our
01:30take is the area off north-east Tasmania looks like it's got very strong prospects for an
01:35offshore wind project for TASREX and our partners.
01:39A declaration prompting mixed reactions.