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Make our own: Australian wind tower manufacturing would create thousands of jobs
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, according to research by the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work.
The report named four ways a domestic wind energy manufacturing sector would generate direct economic benefits. 
The highlight figure from the report is the generation of 4,350 ongoing jobs in wind tower manufacturing, and thousands more in input industries, especially steel.
According to the report, an estimated output of more than 800 towers per year would add up to a cumulative value of about $15 billion over the next 17 years.
There would be incremental demand for up to 700,000 tonnes of Australian-made steel per year, creating a foundation for the recapitalisation of Australian steel plants with carbon-free technologies, according to the Centre for Future Work.
A final calculated outcome would be the avoidance of 2.6 million tonnes of carbon-dioxide 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 Phil Toner, professor and honorary senior research fellow at the 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,” he said.
“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?” Professor Toner said.
“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.”
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