Not so close! Brown warns about offshore turbine locations

IT’S all happening very quickly now.

The most advanced of the offshore wind projects, to be located off the coast of Gippsland, Star of the South, expects to start construction in two or three years, and to have its first of 200 turbines spinning around 2028.

Star of the South have recently published an interactive map which shows where the 300m-350m high turbines will be located, as close as 7km off the coast near McLoughlin’s Beach and Woodside Beach, and you can see how they will be clearly visible from beach level.

Located as it is, between 7km and 25km offshore, in a less populated area, the Star of the South project has already attracted support from the likes of Gippsland South MP Danny O’Brien who has welcomed the Gippsland jobs, while also warning about the path of transmission lines.

However, while the Star of the South project fits into the Victorian Government’s ambitious plan of having 2GW of offshore generation by 2032, offering a capacity of 2.2GW, there’ll need to be four or five such projects rolled out between Port Albert and Phillip Island if the government is going to hit targets of 4GW of offshore wind capacity by 2035 and 9GW by 2040.

It's exactly the pace of the rollout and the location of the development zones, within 5km of Phillip Island, Kilcunda, Waratah Bay and Wilsons Promontory National Park that has the Liberal candidate for Bass, Aaron Brown most concerned.

Mr Brown has been asked his position on renewable energy and the plan to offer up the spectacular coastline of Bass Coast and South Gippsland to several offshore wind farms, and he’s cautioned against a hasty rollout.

“I have a number of concerns in relation to the Federal Labor Government's announcement that it will allow offshore wind development in zones immediately offshore from our beautiful coastline, from Inverloch to Phillip Island,” Mr Brown said recently.

“I understand the community had no awareness of the proposal prior to the Federal Government’s announcement, that there is still inadequate information about the proposal, and that there are insufficient avenues and too little time for local stakeholders to respond.

“The Victorian Labor Government’s proposal, to fast-track regulatory processes to facilitate the rapid development of the Victorian offshore wind industry, is additionally concerning, given the time required to undertake proper investigations and consultation.

“My concerns include the impact that hundreds of wind towers, placed just 5km from the shore and up to 300m in height may have on marine life (particularly the penguin colonies, bird life and migratory whales), fishing and general amenity.

“Many in our community rely on tourism. Phillip Island Nature Parks alone contributes $498 million to the Victorian economy annually, according to 2016 report by Ernst and Young.

“The potential impact of electricity transmission lines is also of concern.

“Overhead transmission lines would be a blight on our landscape. I am concerned the transmission route could cut through our valued coastline and farmland to join up with the main grid between the Latrobe Valley and Melbourne.

“I would oppose an overhead high voltage transmission line that cuts a swathe through our pristine coastal landscape, through areas like Bass and Grantville.

“I support the move to renewable energy where possible, in a properly planned manner, but I am concerned that this is not the case with the Federal Government’s proposal.

“That the government is actively pushing this proposal in conjunction with groups such as the Electrical Trades Union is of great concern to me. Such groups represent a relatively small proportion of our population and are under no obligation to consider the broader implications of this project for local residents.

“I believe that before this project proceeds there should be a process of genuine consultation with all stakeholders and a credible investigation into the social, economic and environmental impacts of the proposal.”

And as an immediate response, Mr Brown has called for an assurance from the Federal Government that the proposed offshore wind zones, located closest to Phillip Island, Bass Coast and South Gippsland, were being ruled out.

Those interested in viewing Star of the South’s interactive map should click the following link: https://getinvolved.starofthesouth.com.au/sots/offshore-wind