GWEC highlights Australia’s strong wind resources as key to energy transition

The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) says Australia has some of the world’s best onshore and offshore wind resources and sees the sector playing a larger role in the country’s energy transition away from ageing coal-fired generation.

While some analysts have expressed concerns about the Australian wind energy industry’s pace of development, particularly the offshore sector, international experts believe the nation is well-placed to hit a significant growth surge.

According to the latest GWEC international report, wind power provided 32,519 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of energy in 2024—33.5% of Australia’s renewable power generation, making it the country’s largest supplier of clean power by this metric.

Major clean energy impact

Overall, wind supplied 13.4% of Australia’s total power generation in 2024, while renewable energy rose slightly from the previous year to represent 40% of Australia’s total electricity generation mix.

Seven onshore wind farms were connected to the grid in 2024, while several large onshore projects are currently under construction.

At the same time, $5.9 billion in investment commitments were made for eight new onshore wind projects, totaling 2.2GW of new generation capacity.

Investment turnaround

The GWEC said the resurgence in wind energy project investment came after a slump in 2023 driven by planning and environmental assessment bottlenecks, higher costs and policy uncertainty.

Australian wind energy developers have since benefited from federal and state government efforts to streamline assessment processes and reduce commercial risks for new clean energy investments through the expanded Capacity Investment Scheme.

The GWEC noted that all of Australia’s wind power to this point comes from onshore assets, with the offshore sector waiting for various government approvals.

Offshore developments

The Australian offshore wind industry saw significant developments in 2024, with area declarations, the awarding of feasibility licences and increased regulatory support around the nation.

Outstanding consultations for proposed offshore wind areas were completed, with declaration processes finalised for the Southern Ocean, Illawarra, Indian Ocean (Bunbury) and Bass Strait (Northern Tasmania) offshore wind areas.

They joined Gippsland and the Hunter as the six declared areas for future offshore wind development.