Port Stephens Council reaffirms stance over offshore wind

PORT Stephens Council has reaffirmed its position on potential offshore wind development off the Hunter coast.

At Council’s Ordinary Meeting on Tuesday 24 February, councillor Mark Watson moved a multi-faceted motion which called for a series of actions from the Federal Government.

Council has confirmed it does not currently support an offshore wind project off Port Stephens, subject to the “completion and consideration of the detailed technical studies, further community and stakeholder engagement and progression through the legislated assessment and approval process by the Federal Government”.

Council clarified that this position is based on a desire for decision making to be informed by extensive community consultation and the completion of “thorough and robust” impact assessments.

It will now write to Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen and Paterson MP Meryl Swanson outlining its position.

Mr Bowen announced in January that he had opened applications for research and demonstration (R&D) licences in Australia’s six offshore wind zones, including off Port Stephens.

This followed the withdrawal of Norwegian energy company Equinor from a $10bn offshore wind project in the Hunter zone in 2025.

While a full-scale offshore wind project seems unlikely off the Hunter coast in the short term, the 1,854km2 declared zone could now be used to research and test different types of offshore renewable energy technologies.

In response, Council has called on the Australian Government to undertake “full, transparent, and properly public scoped consultation on the proposal for research and development licenses progressing”.

It has also requested a “detailed public explanation” of the scale, location, duration, infrastructure requirements and cumulative impacts of any proposed R&D activities within the zone.

Additionally, the Council is seeking formal recognition as a “key stakeholder” in any future regulatory or licensing decisions affecting its coastal waters, tourism economy, fisheries and marine environment.

Mayor Leah Anderson and councillors Giacomo Arnott, Chris Doohan, Mark Watson and Jason Wells voted in favour of the motion, with Cr Peter Francis voting against.

Justin Page, the coordinator of the Hunter Jobs Alliance, accused councillors of “ignoring the facts” in their motion.

He particularly took aim at the idea that community consultation had not taken place over the original offshore wind zone or the R&D licences.

“In August 2025, Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen announced the start of research and demonstration activities within the zone,” Mr Page said.

“As reported by Port Stephens News Of The Area on 28 August 2025, Equinor and Oceanex Energy decided not to proceed with the Novocastrian Offshore Wind Farm, and the article noted that the federal research and demonstration licence process, which councillors now claim they were unaware of, was open for public consultation from 22 August to 3 October 2025.

“On 23 August 2026, Councillor Mark Watson shared a major media article outlining consultation timeframes on his Facebook page, which was also circulated by aligned opposition groups.

“To now claim they did not know consultation was happening is absurd.

“Councillors are jumping ahead of the process, claiming authority over matters not yet determined, while ignoring the federal consultation they were already aware of.”

Mr Page suggested that councillors should instead focus on roads, rates and rubbish rather than “grandstanding over federal processes”.

“If and when offshore wind projects ever propose transmission cables over council land, it will require detailed planning, approvals, and consultation. They should deal with it at that time,” he said.

By Douglas CONNOR