Bunbury Offshore Wind
Environment & Approvals
Environmental Protection
Protecting the environment throughout the project lifecycle is vitally important. Over the next few years, the Bunbury Project will be carrying out comprehensive studies and assessment of the environment in our project area.
Using a range of scientific methods, we will study local shorebirds, seabirds, marine mammals, benthic habitats, fish and fishing activity, cultural features, among other assessments. These studies will contribute to a broad and detailed assessment to minimise impacts to the environment, which will guide the windfarm design to ensure stringent regulatory requirements are met.
Our goal is to minimise impacts to the environment, which will guide the windfarm design to ensure stringent regulatory requirements are met.
A Careful & Thorough Approach
The project will go through a thorough environmental assessment and approvals process before the offshore wind development can be constructed.
With the infrastructure located in Commonwealth and Western Australian jurisdictions, the project will be referred to both Commonwealth and State environmental authorities for assessment and approval.
It is likely an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be required under the Commonwealth EPBC Act and a Public Environmental Review (PER) under the Environmental Protection Act 1986 (WA) amongst many other regulations.
Site Investigations
Wind and metocean (wave and current) data are an essential part of defining the site conditions. An on-site wind measurement using floating LiDAR and wave buoys will help estimate the energy production and support the engineering design.
Geoscience investigations, comprising of geophysical and geotechnical surveys, are used to better understand the geology, seabed sediments, and seabed conditions of the area. Geophysical surveys map the seafloor and the geology beneath it, while geotechnical investigations take small samples of seabed material for testing.
Baseline environmental surveys are essential to understand and mitigate potential environmental impacts and define monitoring throughout the project lifecycle. Surveys will help to determine the ecological significance for various species, their diversity, abundance, and seasonality. In addition, the surveys will help identify any habitat features that may attract species in greater numbers, and provide a reliable baseline to help understand the background noise level.
Prior to commencing any site investigations, we must obtain the necessary environmental and regulatory approvals. This includes developing a management plan outlining how we will safely undertake and mitigate impacts and risks of the site investigations.
