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Mr. Taylor told the Herald and Age On Sunday, the sector “represents a significant opportunity for Australia, with the potential to create thousands of skilled jobs and increased competition in power generation.”

Work climate and energy spokesman Chris Bowen accused the government of “obstructing offshore wind”, which he said could create jobs in the regions.

“Offshore wind is rich in jobs and offers opportunities in the steel and manufacturing supply chains,” Bowen said.

Star of the South off the coast of Gippsland in the regional region of Victoria is one of Australia’s most advanced offshore wind projects. It plans to invest more than $ 6 billion in the local economy over the life of the project and generate 3,000 jobs. The company is preparing worker transition plans for the Latrobe Valley Yallourn Coal Plan.

“We look forward to offering thousands of job opportunities to workers, including those in local coal-fired power plants and local offshore oil and gas industries,” said Star of the South Managing Director Casper Frost. Thorhauge.

Beyond Zero Emissions clean energy think tank analysis of offshore wind farm projects shows one job created in offshore wind creates eight more onshore due to the need for local construction for some turbine components and the supply of cheap energy to industries.

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“Offshore wind is key to unlocking the future of the industry in the Australian region, with the delivery of high quality, long life renewable energy,” said Tom Quinn, Policy Manager, Beyond Zero Emissions .

Latrobe Valley Power Plant employee Tony Wolfe said the coal industry will decline over the next decade and praised the potential for jobs for his region in renewable projects such as Star of the South .

“Obviously, the new jobs that are going to be created with the new technology are unlikely to be paid as well and certainly will not be as numerous,” Wolfe said. “It won’t be as important, but for sure all jobs are better than nothing if you let this kind of industry slip away into other areas. With a little training, the majority of workers’ skills would be transferable.

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