Notification of Public Consultation

Offshore Wind – Pacific Ocean off the Illawarra Region

The Hon Chris Bowen MP, Minister for Climate Change and Energy has proposed an area within Commonwealth waters in the Pacific Ocean off the Illawarra region of NSW for offshore renewable energy, particularly offshore wind. Please see map of the proposed area below:

Offshore wind can help to maintain a secure energy supply, decarbonise the economy with year-round clean energy generation and drive regional jobs growth.

Consultation on this proposed area is now open and we seek your feedback on the area and how offshore wind could share the area with other users and interests. Your feedback will help inform the Minister’s decision on whether the proposed area is suitable for offshore wind energy.

We encourage your feedback through a submission in our Have Your Say portal. Submissions close at 11:59 PM on 16 October 2023. For the Minister to consider your submission, it must be provided through the Consultation Hub by this deadline.

A number of supporting documents are available on the Have Your Say portal. These provide information on the offshore wind consultation and declaration process, as well as additional information on the area.

Our team is hosting six community drop-in sessions in Bulli, Wollongong, Port Kembla, Shellharbour, Kiama and Gerringong where our team will be happy to discuss the proposed area and answer any questions you may have. There is no formal presentation at these sessions, they are designed to enable the community and other stakeholders to drop in at any time throughout the session time to have their questions answered. Details of these sessions are below:

Please contact the Offshore Renewables Team through our mailbox at offshorerenewables@dcceew.gov.au if you need any further information.