Executive summary

Offshore wind has a critical role to play in the global transition to renewable energy. From Australia—where exploiting just five percent of the technically accessible offshore wind resources would provide more than double the electricity currently generated by the National Electricity Market—to Southeast Asia—where limited land space, long coastlines and the greater speed and stability of offshore wind make it an attractive and scalable source of clean energy. The Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia, in particular, are recognised as ‘emerging’ offshore wind markets: offshore wind could supply 12 percent of Vietnam’s electricity by 2035 and 21 percent of the Philippines’ electricity by 2040, and Indonesia is seeking to install 39 GW of capacity its waters by 2060.

But with new technologies come new challenges: it is important to understand the potential security threats facing offshore wind farms, and to consider what steps ASEAN countries and Australia could take now—in advance of their development—to enhance the regulatory protections available for this critical maritime infrastructure, and to ensure energy security and maritime security. This requires consideration of both the wind turbines and supporting structures located on the surface and in the water column, by which electricity is generated (and in some cases stored); and the submarine cables laid on or under the seabed, through which electricity is transmitted to land and enters the grid.

While the international legal framework places some clear limits on the measures that coastal states may take to protect offshore platforms and submarine cables in their maritime zones, the first step for coastal states is to consider whether they have maximised the regulatory opportunities available to them under the law of the sea. This includes ensuring that measures designed to ensure the safety of offshore platforms—in particular, safety zones—are actually established in law, and that they apply to offshore wind infrastructure. Consideration should also be given to establishing criminal offences for intentional damage to such infrastructure. In a similar vein, priority should be given to establishing submarine cable protection zones and criminal offences for wilful or negligent damage to submarine cables—and to ensuring that the submarine power cables associated with offshore wind farms are extended the same protections as submarine telecommunications cables. More broadly, early consideration of policy and planning issues related to the location, layout and operation of offshore windfarms also presents opportunities to strategically and pro-actively consider the measures that may be deployed for their protection.

Of course, this is also a rich area for deepening Australia- ASEAN maritime cooperation. Beyond the deeply shared regional interests in maritime security, energy security and environmental security, the growing importance of generating and exporting renewable energy within the region through submarine cables provides a powerful basis for further collaboration in the protection of offshore wind infrastructure, both above and below the waterline.

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