‘Hundreds of jobs’ in Australis Energy’s $1.75bn offshore wind farm planned 10km offshore near Kingston in SA’s South-East

The state’s first offshore wind farm would bring “hundreds of jobs” and create power for 400,000 homes under a $1.75bn plan.

A $1.75bn offshore wind farm is planned for the state’s South-East – the first in South Australia – with proponents spruiking its ability to create hundreds of jobs.

SA Offshore Windfarm Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of UK-based Australis Energy, is planning the project, with up to 75 turbines about 10km off the coast of Kingston SE.

There are no other offshore wind farms in Australia, but 11 others are in the planning stages across the country.

Australis Energy says the 600MW wind farm would require 40-75 turbines measuring up to 260m high, with the number to be built depending on the type of technology used.

They would be visible from the coast, using submerged cables and offshore and onshore substations to feed electricity into the state’s power grid within the National Electricity Market.

If approved, the company says up to 800 jobs would be created during construction, and 100 people would find long-term work on the project, which would create enough energy to power 400,000 homes.

The GE-Alstom Block Island Wind Farm off Block Island, Rhode Island, U.S. Picture: Eric Thayer/Bloomberg

The company has lodged a development application with the State Planning Commission, and the Federal Environment Department is considering whether to deem the project a “controlled action”, likely to have significant environmental impacts.

This would require assessment under the Federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

Australis Energy is also planning two other offshore wind farms in Australia – one 25km west of Portland in Victoria and another 20km north of Bunbury in WA.

It says detailed design and procurement would happen in 2023, with construction beginning as early as 2024/25 and the wind farm generating electricity by 2027.

Kingston SE Mayor Kay Rasheed with chief executive Nat Traeger at the Kingston Jetty. Picture: Matt Turner

Kingston Mayor Kay Rasheed said if the project came to fruition its employment generation would be “absolutely fantastic” for the region.

“I think it could be quite a tourist attraction,” she said.

“If you look at photos of offshore wind farms they’re quite impressive.”

Council chief executive Nat Traeger said apart from the economic boost the project would bring, she hoped it would help cater for boat launching infrastructure upgrades.

A boat ramp in Kingston has been closed for two years because it has a $7.6m repair bill – but the council earns only $3.9m in a year in rate revenue.

Australis Energy chairman Mark Petterson said the project would support the state government’s target of reaching net-100 per cent renewables by 2030.

Andrew Bray, national director of RE-Alliance – an organisation supporting the country’s transition to renewables – said of the country’s 12 potential new offshore wind farms, the “Star of the South”, near Victoria’s Gippsland, was the most progressed through planning stages.

“If you look at a pipeline of 12 projects, particularly for something like offshore wind, where we don’t even have one operating plant, you would expect that some of them are going to make it and some won’t,” he said.

Mr Bray said the technology was common in Europe, able to access higher wind speeds and harness energy when wind speeds were low on land.

Southern right whales advocacy group Encounter Whales said if approved, construction work must happen outside of the animals’ breeding and migration season.

A “scoping report” on the project said the wind turbine generators would be supported by monopiles – cylindrical tubes – up to 10m in diameter, driven into the seabed.

The majority of the site is within water depths of between 80m and 40m.

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