A proposal to build up to 150 wind turbines off Kiama’s coast has been dashed in favour of a new location further north.

BlueFloat Energy – the company behind the South Pacific Offshore Wind Project – has selected an alternative site to Kiama, which stretches 14 kilometres from Shellharbour to Clifton, north of Thirroul.

The company had been investigating two sites, the other would have been between Kiama and Jervis Bay. 

The project will see up to 150 offshore wind turbines constructed, providing 1600MW of energy to the region which could power 825,000 homes.

BlueFloat Energy Australian country manager Nick Sankey told ABC Illawarra this morning that the company reviewed both locations, and that it preferred the northern site due to its proximity to Port Kembla as well as the NSW government’s declared renewable energy zone. 

He added that BlueFloat will continue to refine exactly where it will construct the turbines throughout community consultation.

Independent Kiama councillor Matt Brown told The Bugle that the change in plans was a win for residents of the Kiama LGA, which he says largely rejected the development.

Councillor Brown listed a handful of major concerns stemming from his own consultations with the community. 

One of those major concerns is how reliant the Kiama LGA is on tourism, and whether the introduction of large wind turbines would disturb the coastal scenery. 

It’s not just aesthetics that need to be accounted for. 

Councillor Brown said one of the other reasons the move north makes sense is because it could potentially disturb the migration patterns of whales, a major drawcard for tourists in the region. 

Each wind turbine would require four large anchors to secure it to the coastal shelf.

Finally, the issue of infrastructure. Councillor Brown says building turbines so close to Kiama would require significant upgrades to energy infrastructure like hire tension wires, which already exists in Port Kembla. 

Given one of the reasons for building more renewable energy sources is to better secure the NSW power grid, it would be more sensible to use the existing infrastructure we already have, according to Councillor Brown.

He also took a moment to thank the Federal Member for Gilmore Fiona Phillips and Minister for Energy Chris Brown for listening to community feedback and reaching a compromise between introducing more renewable energy without disturbing the natural environment.

Independent Member for Kiama Gareth Ward also welcomed the news while reconfirming his support for more renewable energy in NSW.

"Whilst I am pleased the focus for this project will shift to the north of the Kiama Electorate, I hope that the proponents remain focused on answering the questions posed by our local community," said Mr Ward.