Three of Australia's largest unions are urging the Federal Government to extend the proposed Hunter Offshore Wind Project to Terrigal on the Central Coast in order to maximise its role in the clean energy transition.
The government is presently seeking community feedback on a proposal that takes in a 2810 square kilometre area extending from Norah Head to Port Stephens.
Under the government's proposal, launched in late February, the 8 gigawatt project would be situated between 10 and 50 kilometres off the coast and be capable of producing the equivalent energy of the region's fleet of coal-fired power stations.
But the Maritime Union of Australia, the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union and the Electrical Trades Union say the project should be more ambitious in terms of its output and employment potential.
The unions' proposal would increase the overall area of the zone by about 30 per cent.
They argue that increasing the area located in shallow water (up to 300 metres) would not only enable the project to be built quicker but it would also reduce construction costs, which would ultimately be passed on to consumers.
"We want to maximise the amount of offshore wind that can go out there. The depth of the water lends itself to being extended further south," MUA Newcastle Branch Secretary Glen Williams said.
"We want to get this right from the start, it's not something that we want to come back to because we have run out of space or because they realise there is potential for further growth in the industry down the track."
The project, the second of six offshore wind projects proposed for Australia, could be operating by 2028.
The government estimates its proposal could create about 4800 jobs during the construction phase, with another 2400 ongoing maintenance jobs.
At least eight consortia have expressed interest in the construction and operation of the project to date. Origin Energy is also expected to announce its interest in coming weeks.
Proponents and the government report that community feedback from the Hunter community to date has been largely positive.
Under the unions' proposal, the zone would be pushed to at least 15 kilometres off the coast, which would further reduce its visual impact.
"They will be further out than the ships that you can barely see on most days now," Mr Williams said.
"The number of direct and indirect jobs that will be created by this industry can't be overstated. We should be trying to maximise it; it's a lifeline to the region."
Electrical Trades Union National Policy Officer Trevor Gauld said moving the project south would not only improve its environmental sustainability, but would also make it easier to connect to existing transmission infrastructure.
"By moving it south we open up a much larger usable area and it would be a lot closer to connection points in the grid and closer to power stations that will be closing in the next 10 years," he said.
"Colocating a project closer to where people are facing the prospects of displacement from the closure of those power stations makes enormous sense."
The government's Offshore Renewables Implementation team held seven community information sessions across the Hunter and Central Coast during the week of 6 March.
About 300 people attended the sessions with Newcastle and Nelson Bay attracting the greatest interest.
The main areas of support were for opportunities for the region in renewable energy generation and contributing to efforts to address climate change, transitioning skills of the local workforce into new industries and securing alternative sources of electricity to replace coal fired power generation.
The main queries raised at all sessions included how will the turbines impact marine life and birds?, where will the transmission lines come onshore? and how many turbines will there be and will the turbines be visible from shore?
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water consultation will continue until April 28.
The department had received 470 submissions as of 1pm on Friday.
Ninety five per cent of the submissions had been from individuals.
Forty six per cent expressed support, with 33 per cent opposed and the remainder expressing support or opposition.
"It's very encouraging the way the community has engaged with the Government in the consultation, the many submissions from the public that have shown support for the offshore wind zone as well as the feedback for other things the Government should consider," Climate Change and Energy Minister Chirs Bowen said.
"It's clear by the submissions to the consultation process, the people of the Hunter understand the economic and job opportunities that come with an offshore wind industry in their region.
"As we did before declaring the first offshore wind zone off the coast of Gippsland, the Government will assess all the evidence and advice gathered during the consultation period before making any final zoning decisions, working constructively with local communities, businesses and industries."
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