Standard Presentation Australian Marine Sciences Association 2026 Conference

Developing Better Practices to Support Environmental Research for Offshore Renewable Energy in Australia (139147)

Rachel Przeslawski 1 2 , Alan Jordan 2 , Aero Leplastrier 3 , Peter Walsh 2
  1. Research Connect Blue, Bungendore, NSW, Australia
  2. Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
  3. Geoscience Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia

Australia’s offshore renewable energy (ORE) sector presents a transformative opportunity to accelerate the national transition to clean energy and meet the legislated 2050 net-zero emissions target. As this emerging industry gains momentum, a growing body of environmental baseline and research studies funded by government, industry, and academia has laid the groundwork for informed development. There is a recognised need for the national coordination of these approaches to increase the relevance and consistency of recommended practices and standards, as well as to enable efficient use of time and resources. Fragmentation of practices across disciplines, regions, and impact pathways risks undermining the robustness and efficiency of environmental impacts assessments.

To address this, Australia is advancing a nationally coordinated approach to environmental research and guidance, drawing on an established international framework for ocean best practice development. We highlight three case studies to exemplify how national-scale coordination in Australia is being applied to support our developing ORE industry:

  • Survey guidelines and data standards for marine benthic habitats. Led by Geoscience Australia and funded by the Renewable Environmental Research Initiative, this project is undertaking extensive engagement activities and reviews of existing practices to develop fit-for-purpose guidance about benthic characterisation for proponents, researchers, and regulators.
  • ORE Trusted Environmental Data and Information Supply Chain. Funded by the Australian Research Data Commons, this project is building scalable data and analytics infrastructure to support environmental impact assessments in a trial ORE declared area, with a view to national application.
  • ORE Research Consultative Group. This recently established advisory body represents key Commonwealth government agencies and aims to foster strategic alignment and knowledge exchange to ensure environmental research effectively supports ORE development.

These efforts signal a shift toward integrated, transparent, and scalable environmental assessment practices that can support sustainable growth of Australia’s ORE sector.