DISER announced on Friday (05/08/2022) that Gippsland, VIC will be the first proposed area for the development of offshore renewable energy under the Offshore Energy Infrastructure Act (2021). Whilst this is only the first area to open for public consultation, other areas were earmarked by the Federal Government, including Bunbury and Perth in WA.
Hydrobiology is proud of our contribution to offshore renewable energy, through our work on the EPBC referrals for the Leeuwin Offshore Wind Farm and the Midwest Offshore Wind Farm in WA. We are particularly excited to see Bunbury being mentioned as an upcoming proposed area. We hope that our work on the Leeuwin OWF, from strategic environmental advice, stakeholder engagement and constraint mapping, through to drafting the EPBC referral supporting documents, played a small, but significant part in this latest DISER announcement.
Q: Where can I find out more about the Leeuwin and Midwest OWFs in WA and the environmental approval work done by Hydrobiology?
A: Leeuwin OWF
Midwest OWF
Q: Where can I read about offshore renwable energy EPBC Referrals?
A: DAWE (now DCEEW) has recently launched a new EPBC public portal. You can read about all the submissions here:
https://epbcpublicportal.awe.gov.au/all-referrals/
Q: How do I read and respond to the proposed area for Gippsland?
A: The consultation hub is maintained by DISER and can be accessed here: https://consult.industry.gov.au/oei-gippsland
Each proposed area will have its own hub in due course.
