WHY OFFSHORE WIND?
Offshore wind energy in Australia is still in its formative stages but has the potential to play a key role, supporting renewable energy targets and the development of clean tech industries.
The offshore environment on the southern margin of Australia, from Perth in Western Australia to the Gippsland area of Victoria offers an opportunity to tap into a more powerful and consistent wind resource, known as the Roaring Forties, with the potential to generate more electricity at a steadier rate than most other renewable energy sources.
The consistent, strong wind patterns offshore provide tremendous opportunity to develop high capacity offshore wind-generated energy.
Each of Australis's projects is close to existing infrastructure that will enable effective connection to the regional electricity grids.
The increasingly competitive nature of constructing windfarms offshore, combined with advancing turbine technology, has led to profound market growth internationally and lower generation costs which is set to continue over the next two decades.
Technology developments have led to major cost reductions with new projects independently profitable and large growth forecast over the next 30 years. During this period the capacity provided by offshore wind energy generation is expected to rise to 1,000GW globally -- more than 30 times the current capacity.
ENVIRONMENT, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE FACTORS
Environmental, social and governance factors are at the heart of the work of Australis Energy Ltd.
Achieving and maintaining the highest standards in health and safety are core to our operations. We are committed to diversity and gender inclusivity, alongside the overall physical and mental health of our employees and consultants.
Critical to each project is developing strategies to ensure that during the construction, operations and decommissioning we benefit the local and national economy without causing harm to the environment or local communities.
Our approach includes:
- Working with industry partners and the supply chain to mitigate the impact on non-renewable natural resources
- Avoiding or mitigating impacts on ocean ecosystems throughout development, construction and operation
- Engaging with relevant stakeholders to collaborate in identifying how local species and natural habitats can be protected throughout the development
The increasing use of renewable power generation is mitigating the impact of climate change.
Lifecycle emissions for offshore wind farms are very low compared to other forms of electricity generation: approximately 1.5% of coal-fired generation or 2.5% for gas-fired generation.
The World Economic Forum, Davos Manifesto 2020 states, “The purpose of a company is to engage all its stakeholders in shared and sustained value creation. In creating such value, a company serves not only its shareholders, but all its stakeholders – employees, customers, suppliers, local communities and society at large.”
We are committed to developing social sustainability in partnership with all community stakeholder groups impacted by the project.
There will be wide-ranging socio-economic benefits to the community. During construction, many hundreds of temporary roles will be required for a period of up to around 24 months. Each project will then employ up to 100 full-time, permanent staff in technical and administrative roles to manage and maintain the site.
In additional to the directly employed workforce, the operation of the wind farm will likely provide opportunities for indirect local employment via support-service contracts and other local expenditure.
We will use a local workforce where possible, with re-training as necessary, thereby enhancing the human capital in the region at the project’s conclusion.
Effective, strong and transparent governance structure are central to our management. This is particularly relevant to attracting the capital required to construct the windfarm and gaining and maintaining the respect of all shareholders and stakeholders in the through fair, honest and transparent dealings.
