The debate around wind farms has been stoked once again by the Federal Government’s announced plan to establish an offshore wind zone off the coast of the Illawarra.

The Bugle asked what Kiama thinks now that a wind farm off the Kiama coast could become a reality. As expected, we received strong responses from readers from both camps.

We have selected six comments ‘For’ and ‘Against’ wind farms from those who elected to put their name to their submission.

Most of the negative responses stem from visual amenity, and it’s worth noting the proposed section of the offshore wind zone would be 30 kilometres from the coast, an additional 20 kilometres from the rest of the Illawarra’s coastline.

FOR

Howard H Jones, former Kiama Councillor 

As someone who has fought to protect the environment of Kiama over the past 30 years, I would like to calm the debate on offshore wind farms. I understand the turbines will be floating, so damage to the sea bed will be minimal. As they will be located at least 10 kms offshore we need modeling to help us understand what the visual impacts might be before we get too excited about how they may look. 

As a coastal community, we are vulnerable to climate-related sea level rise and increasingly severe and frequent weather events. So we can play a role in the amelioration of this human generated threat and, provided the visual impacts are within reason, get behind this proposal and be part of the climate change solution. 

Stuart and Elizabeth Taylor, Kiama

My wife and I support the proposal for wind farms to be built off the Illawarra coast, even if adjacent to Kiama. We make the following points:

* Clearly renewable energy is what our nation needs to aim for

* The Illawarra coast including Kiama needs to share this responsibility. How can we say morally, yes to wind farms, but only in someone else’s backyard?

* With the wind farms being so far off the coast, they will be unseen by us

* We can see no logic to the thought that tourism would be negatively affected

* Wind farms are not new and happily exist in many parts of the world, why not here?!

Edwin Humphries, Kiama

We need to decide whether we're going to opt for a coal-based future. If we can agree that that's not an option, then we all need to be a part of the solution. Perhaps some people would regard wind farms as ugly, but many see them as quite graceful. When they are 30km out - which has been stipulated for any installation off Kiama - they would not be visible from town (the sea level horizon is less than five km away). 

Any sounds from them would be lost in distance and drowned out by the sounds of the surf. So if it's commercially and technically viable for a company to put a wind farm off Kiama, I would support it. 

David Havyatt

Your item on offshore wind farms confuses two issues. The first is proposals for specific windfarms - the second is the designation of the Illawarra Offshore Wind Zone. Technically the latter needs to occur before the former, and BlueFloat Energy was putting the cart before the horse consulting on a specific project before the zone had been declared. 

The thing that is now open for consultation is the declaration; Minister Bowen isn't proposing a new project. And BlueFloat Energy certainly did run a "fair dinkum" consultation, given that they canned the project and moved it further north. But BlueFloat won't be the only potential developer. And any actual development proposed will have to go through its own detailed cost benefit analysis including detailed consideration of community concerns. 

We should hope that projects don't just fall over the line on this analysis but genuinely contribute positive outcomes to the community. The local economic impact is likely to be hugely positive. The turbines will be at least 10 kilometres off the coast and will not represent significant visual impact. They will not inhibit anyone's enjoyment of all the Illawarra has to offer which is our beaches and the beauty of the escarpment and hinterland. 

Detailed analysis will be undertaken of the impact on other users of the waterways including commercial and recreational fishing. As the tethering of each platform creates a mini reef there is the prospect that the projects will be positive for fish populations. Globally the potential impact on migratory mammals - whales - has not been found to be an issue. However it is talked up often by groups linked to funding by fossil fuel companies and investors. 

Your commentary failed to mention the other issue which is a cultural issue relating to the Dharawal people and their connection to the land and sea. This is another set of stakeholder interests that will need to be considered for specific projects. The Illawarra has been a proud economic contributor for over one hundred years as a coal mining centre. Hopefully the Illawarra can look forward to being a proud economic contributor from the location of offshore wind turbines.

Steven, Kiama 

Opposition to utilising this area's wind resources is classic Nimbyism. These turbines, although they have a considerable carbon footprint in their manufacture and installation, have very low ongoing impact in their operation, and unlike solar, when the wind is blowing, they work day and night. 

They will also have a long life and are relatively simple machines so don't require new industries set up to maintain them. There will be no noise impacts on-shore. I suspect the whales will be able to detect them and navigate around them just fine, and the fish will colonise the underwater infrastructure. 

Consideration of our area is necessary in the transformation of our energy base, we have no choice, the evidence of increasing damage from our way of life to our only planet is clear. Electrifying our economy to power our factories, transportation, making green hydrogen, and reducing our electricity bills is crucial. 

We can see that ten years of argument on energy policy has led to huge increases in our electricity bills due to reliance on fossil fuels and not building new renewable generation fast enough. Coal in particular, has been a cheap and simple way of powering our electrical generation but as well as the carbon emissions, there is the legacy of the disused coal mines, mercury and vanadium emissions amongst other heavy metals, ash from combustion and damage to aquifers. Wind farms change the view out to sea a little bit, it seems like a relatively small price to pay to me. If not wind generation at sea in an area that's not used for much at the moment and is close to large electrical demand (Sydney), where else?

Phillip Gall 

We need to support clean energy initiatives like the proposed wind generation 30 km from our immediate coastline. The transition to clean energy is urgent and a massive undertaking. By all means raise legitimate issues in the consultation process but we shouldn't be out to block or unnecessarily block these developments. The climate emergency is just that. We all need to do our bit.

AGAINST

Mark Way, President Kiama GFC & former Kiama Councillor

Wind farms off Kiama or anywhere in our ocean are a “no go”! They would of course look terrible and generally speaking be an “eye sore” and cause major problems for vessels and marine life. Last time this came up those at the discussion I went to at Pavilion saw overwhelming “thumbs down” for the project. Whales were of major concern to those at the presentation. Unbelievably, the following media article said there was support, a total misrepresentation of facts. No doubt being a Labour Party initiative there will be support from a minority politically aligned. Solar power is the way to go, leave our ocean alone. 

Rossallan Harrison

These proposed wind turbines are horrible. Whatever happened to our love of the natural environment? Nuclear would seem to be the answer for our emission objectives and the life of small nuclear modules is upwards of 60 years. Even if these wind turbines can't be seen, what impact will they have on whale migration, birds and other wildlife. It's time for all the community to protest against this dreadful proposal.

Christine Meyer, Kiama 

I was relieved when Kiama wind farming was not in consideration, but Chris Bowen has changed his mind again and I am concerned for the environment of whales, fish and birds safety, also the cost of this is enormous and we will be committed at least until they are no longer viable and then become floating junk. Also turning our picturesque coastline into an eyesore. We moved here for the beauty and peaceful lifestyle that we currently enjoy. 

Daniel Hill

I am deeply opposed to the offshore wind power stations and their likely devastating effect on the environment, tourism, visual amenity and the makeup of the town. Furthermore, it is clear that they are experiemental technology. We should not be subject to such experiments.

I am sure the majority of residents feel very much the same, and have met few who disagree. I led a campaign against the proposal which included Kiama Council voting against the idea to demonstrate opposition. Sadly, the Federal Labor government, supported by local member Fiona Phillips and government department, wants to ignore the wishes of the local population in their quest for a power station utopia. The proposed wind power station zone extends further south than the NSW zone. The petition I started against these wind farms stands at over 1,600 signatures. 

https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-offshore-power-stations-on-the-nsw-south-coast?redirect=false

Of course no wind turbines are proposed for Sydney's coast, the populace of which seems enamored with the notion of them. The words of Alan Finkel, former Australian Chief Scientist demonstrate the horror of what is being proposed for us and the country: “Think forests of wind farms carpeting hills and cliffs from sea to sky. Think endless arrays of solar panels disappearing like a mirage into the desert." Ref: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jun/17/our-future-as-an-electrostate-alan-finkel-on-how-australia-gets-to-net-zero-from-here

Gail Morgan

The proposed energy output of these turbines has been vastly exaggerated. The energy supply is uneven and energy spikes are expensive to resolve. The environmental repercussions will be disastrous on our whales, sea life and sea birds. They will become killing fields and the locals and our tourist industry will live with the consequences. The fishing industry will be severely impacted. Transmission lines and a form of substation will industrialise our beautiful and pristine town. Sound is amplified across water. There will be disincentives to take to the water for any purpose. 

The turbines are unsightly yet they will be visible on the horizon destroying the powerful and magnificent aesthetic which is the ocean. These companies are often overseas based. Profits are stabilised and guaranteed for them - not the consumer. It is unfair to call this energy ‘green’ when the toll it takes on the environment is massive. The blades cannot be recycled. They are made using exploitative conditions to advantage large corporations in emerging economies. 

Alongside massive subsidies and cost of transmission lines is the shelf life of these boondoggles. Fifteen years max- and probably less in offshore conditions. Renewable energy has a place in a mixed portfolio tailored to suit our country’s needs. But offshore turbines have not delivered on the extravagant promises made. The increase in whale and bird casualties in the North Sea and along the US coast is a terrible indictment of their failure.

John Ernst

The announcement by Chris Bowen regarding the proposed area where wind turbines are to be situated will be a monumental, financial and environmental disaster. Bowen does not care how the people of Kiama feel about this proposal, just look at the Victorian situation, no consultation with the farmers whose livelihoods are being threatened, he just does not care. He will do anything to get his impossible net zero target no matter who is detrimentally affected to achieve his target, which is impossible. 

He is so closed minded that he won’t even discuss nuclear, which will not harm the environment, stop farmers from producing the food that we need, produce no carbon emissions, where we don’t have to rely on China for the infrastructures. Our energy supply is under threat now and these wind turbines will not be operational within the next ten years, by then he will have taken most if not all coal/gas fired generators off line, leaving us without baseload power, what a monumental disaster.”

Thank you for all the responses. The Bugle will continue to follow this story and will update our readers when any progress is made.

The Bugle will also be publishing your opinions regularly in different formats, so stay tuned!