‘Slowing climate change’: Amazon invests in Australian wind farm as Trump halts developments in US
Donald Trump says wind farms are ‘driving whales crazy’ and has halted developments in the US, but Amazon has invested in an Australian site that will power the equivalent of 67,000 homes.
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As Jeff Bezos was cheering the inauguration of Donald Trump, the Australian offshoot of his e-commerce empire was finalising a deal to buy power from a wind farm in Victoria’s southwest to “slow the speed of climate change”.
Amazon Australia has signed a power purchase agreement with Global Power Generation to buy 100 per cent of the electricity from its wind farm at Hawkesdale, north of Warrnambool – a former whaling town. The project will generate up to 97 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 67,000 homes each year.
In the US, Mr Trump has halted approvals for leases, permits and loans for onshore and offshore wind energy projects, saying they are “driving the whales crazy” and “is the most expensive energy there is”, being “many, many times more expensive than natural gas”.
But this year, the Victorian government halted new gas connections for new dwellings, apartment buildings and residential subdivisions after former premier Daniel Andrews resurrected the SEC to promote wind, solar and other “renewable” power.
Mr Trump has used executive orders to revoke his predecessor Joe Biden’s efforts to fight climate change, saying “climate extremism has exploded inflation and overburdened businesses with regulation”, and tech billionaires have lavished praise on his victory.
But the tech industry is yet to follow Mr Trump and unwind its own green commitments. Amazon has been steadily increasing investments in its $US2bn ($3.2bn) Climate Pledge Fund – and its Victorian wind farm investment is part of its pledge to reach net zero emissions by 2020.
Warrnambool has long stopped whaling and has become a tourist destination at the end of the Great Ocean Road, with southern right whales returning yearly to nurse their calves off Logans Beach in Lady Bay.
Amazon Australia director of public policy Michael Cooley said energy from the Hawkesdale project would be “delivered directly to the grid” and help “power Amazon’s operations while benefiting other energy users”. It is one of more than 600 alternative energy projects in which Amazon has invested globally – enough to power 8.3 million homes.
“Building new renewable energy projects is one of the most effective ways to slow the speed of climate change,” Mr Cooley said.
“Victoria was the location chosen for our first Australian fulfilment centre in 2017 and is now home to six of our operations sites. Additionally, the AWS [Amazon Web Services] Region of data centres in Melbourne is estimated to support an average of more than 2500 full-time jobs annually through a planned investment of more than $US4.5bn in Australia by 2037.
“The Hawkesdale wind farm investment represents our ongoing commitment to the state, and to our Climate Pledge commitment.”
And while Mr Trump is sceptical about wind energy, Mr Cooley said Amazon chose to invest in the Hawkesdale project because the form of power was an “abundant and inexhaustible resource that provides clean-energy without burning fuel or polluting the air”.
“The location of the Hawkesdale site in southwest Victoria is ideal for wind energy as it benefits from strong, steady winds and connects to the grid via the Tarrone Terminal Station,” he said.
Mr Cooley said Amazon would continue to invest in such projects to help decarbonise its business and the planet.
It has now invested in eight alternative energy projects, including solar farms in Suntop and Gunnedah in NSW and Woleebee, Queensland as well as four roof-top solar projects at Amazon sites in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth.
“Amazon will consider all viable forms of carbon-free energy in Australia, with a number of solar investments on the horizon nationally for 2025 and beyond,” Mr Cooley said.
“Bringing new carbon-free energy sources to Australia is not the only reason Amazon makes these renewable energy investments – the projects are also bringing economic growth and jobs to local communities.
“Economic data from Amazon shows the company’s investments in utility-scale renewable energy projects in Australia from 2020 to 2022 generated an estimated $467m in local economic investment.”
Mr Cooley said the Hawkesdale wind farm represented a significant addition to Victoria’s renewable energy portfolio, aligning with the Victorian government’s recently revised targets of 40 per cent renewable energy by 2025, 65 per cent by 2030, and 95 per cent by 2035.
The wind farm’s construction supported 167 full-time equivalent jobs, and now employs six people.
Shahmir Mohajerani, head of development, Asia-Pacific at Global Power Generation Australia, said: “This project, in collaboration with Amazon, exemplifies our mutual commitment to advancing renewable energy development in Australia”.
“By harnessing the wind resources in Victoria, we are not only producing clean energy but also helping the state achieve its ambitious renewable energy targets, while creating new economic opportunities for the local community.”
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Originally published as ‘Slowing climate change’: Amazon invests in Australian wind farm as Trump halts developments in US
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