A huge, controversial offshore wind farm stretching along some of ‘s most scenic coastline has been given the green light by the Albanese government.
Federal Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen will announce the creation of the zone in Wollongong, 93kilometres south of Sydney, on Saturday morning.
‘Through this zone, the Albanese government will deliver up to 2.9gigawatts of reliable renewable power – enough to power 1.8million homes,’ Bowen said.
The proposed project has caused massive controversy in the Illawarra region, with protests against it from both opponents of renewable energy and people with environmental concerns.
Some opponents said the project would look ugly from the shore and disturb seabirds as well as migratory whales.
The impact of the environmental concerns were lessened, though, by the circulation of a fake journal article claiming 400 whales a year would be killed by it.
After public consultation, the turbines will be located 20km offshore rather than an originally proposed 10km, and the overall size of the wind farm’s footprint has been reduced by a third.
Climate Council policy and advocacy head Jennifer Rayner said the Illawarra region – long a manufacturing powerhouse – would continue to thrive for generations with affordable and clean energy being produced in the region.
‘Offshore wind will be an important part of ‘s clean energy grid because it provides reliable, steady renewable energy right around the clock,’ Dr Rayner said.
‘This is one of the important ways we’ll power as our ageing and unreliable coal-fired generators close.
‘The federal and state governments need to work together to rapidly break through roadblocks that are holding back the delivery of onshore wind projects already supported by communities and investors.’
University of Wollongong Energy Futures Network director Ty Christopher hailed the offshore wind project as a positive step for the region.
‘By working together as a community, sharing our concerns for the environment to co-design a clean energy future for the region, we have the ability to deliver positive outcomes for our oceans, our communities and our local economy,’ he said.
Thousands of people attended a rally against the proposal at Flagstaff Point last October, with environmental activists saying the wind farm would be in the migration path of up to 40,000 whales.
The creation of the new zone will allow investors to apply to build offshore wind within the boundaries.
Illawarra Offshore Wind says on its website that it could start construction in 2028 following approvals and turn on the power by 2030.
It expects to create up to 3,000 jobs through the project.