Minister for Climate Change Chris Bowen is announcing the approval of the hugely controversial development of wind farms off the Illawarra coast at a press conference this morning. 

The official announcement will be made at BlueScope, with Stephen Jones, the Labor Member for the safe Labor seats of Whitlam, which encompasses Shellharbour and Shellcove, and Alison Byrnes, for the seat of Cunningham, also in attendance.

The issue has proved hugely divisive up and down the South Coast, with the placement of the wind farms directly in the whale migration path outraging environmentalists.

The Daily Telegraph has reported on its front page that the “massive and controversial offshore wind farm stretching along the southern coastline near Illawarra has been given the green light by the federal government. But in a concession to residents the turbine will be pushed 20km out to sea, instead of just 10km.

The proposed area of 1461 square kilometres extends offshore of Woombarra in the north to Kiama in the south.

The proposal is for 300 wind turbines, which at 260 metres tall are almost the height of Sydney’s Centre Point Tower. 

Coalition Against Offshore Wind Spokesman Grant Drinkwater said the proposal was a nightmare: “It shows you the government is absolutely gun-ho about the most ridiculous proposal that has ever been put forward in the Illawarra.”

Pundits on both sides of the controversy are expected to put out further statements throughout the day. 

The proposal has already created a massive backlash in the South Coast community, with suggestions that the announcement marked “a very sad day.”

The government has used every dirty trick in the book to minimise hostile coverage, leaking the story to friendly media outlets late on Friday and not making any formal announcement until today. 

Leader of the National Party David Littleproud will be in the Illawarra on Monday and is expected to announce that if the Coalition is returned to power at the next election, he will abolish the offshore wind farm project altogether.