The Australia Institute Media Release

Australia could create more than 4300 quality direct jobs by making its own wind towers instead of importing them, according to new research by the Centre for Future Work.

At present, all wind towers installed in Australia are imported from overseas with most coming from China.

Centre for Future Work’s research found a domestic wind energy sector would generate:

• 4,350 ongoing jobs in wind tower manufacturing, and thousands more in input industries, especially steel
• Output of over 800 towers per year, with cumulative value of up to $15 billion over the next 17 years
• Incremental demand for up to 700,000 tonnes of Australian-made steel per year, creating a foundation for the recapitalization of Australian steel plants with carbon-free technologies
• Avoiding 2.6 million tonnes of CO2 emissions thanks to reduced sea shipping of imported wind towers

Wind energy manufacturing represents a prime opportunity to apply the new policy tools of the federal government’s Future Made in Australia manufacturing strategy.

The report recommends the federal government, in partnership with state counterparts, commission an engineering and financial study into an east coast domestic wind manufacturing industry.

Report author Professor Phil Toner, Honorary Senior Research Fellow at University of Sydney, said:

“It’s conventional in traditional economic circles to say Australia should stick to its so-called ‘comparative advantage’, in determining its role in the emerging net-zero global economy.

“But if we follow the advice of conventional economists we will lock Australia into once again being just a supplier of raw resources to other, more technologically sophisticated countries.

“These countries will purchase Australian resources at the going global rate, transform them into innovative and expensive products, and then sell them back to us at premium prices.

“With all the opportunities of a net-zero global economy, do we really just want to replace traditional mineral exports like coal with new generations of unprocessed minerals like lithium and rare earths?

“Manufacturing our own wind power equipment represents an enormous opportunity for Australia to attain a more balanced industrial structure and create good quality well paid jobs.

“Most other industrial countries are investing aggressively in manufacturing the new equipment and products that will be in demand as the energy transition continues. Australia needs similar policy activism to maximise the industrial, technological and employment potential of the energy transition.

“Anyone concerned about the climate should be up in arms at the fact we’re importing huge heavy steel towers from China when we could be producing them here, which would provide fantastic opportunities for our burgeoning green steel sector.”