(updated from 3.20pm post)

The drop-in information session on the windfarm proposed for off the Kiama coast got heated at times as people strongly expressed their opposition to the project [First glimpse of our possible windfarm future].

The issues most raised were about the visual effect of the 105 300m turbines on the horizon; the effectiveness of the technology; the impact on migrating whales and birds; lack of controls; and a general scepticism about whether their views were going to be taken into account.

Councillor Kathy Rice took the opportunity to ask the project team a lot of questions and still doesn’t feel she has all the answers she needs.

“I am generally supportive because Australia must examine these technologies and they can’t be discounted without knowing the facts,” she says.

“The major issues people are concerned about are its appearance and the potential environmental impact.

“It is vital to make sure that everything is thoroughly researched before permission is granted.”

Councillor Karen Renkema-Lang holds a similar view.

“I’m generally supportive of the need for clean energy. My issue is whether they [the proponents of this project] are being presumptive in the siting. Calling it a project makes it seem like a done deal yet there are many concerns that need to be addressed,” she says.

Former councillor and President of the Kiama Game Fishing Club, Mark Way, was also at the meeting and says, “I don’t think I’ve seen so many people against a project.

“It will be an eyesore and a navigational hazard.”

He supports nuclear as a solution to energy needs.

BlueFloat Energy's Australian Country Manager, Nick Sankey, says that while there was a vocal opposition, overall he considered there was more support for than against the project, "We said we wanted to engage early, and that is what we have done.

"We wanted to describe exactly what we are doing, and I was keen to outline the process being led by the Federal Government to identify the zones."

He says it is the first of their projects where people said they wanted to start petitions against it.

A webinar is being held on the project this afternoon, via Zoom, 5-6pm. Click to find link. A recording of the session will be available on the website after that.