What’s the environmental impact

I support renewable energy in general and offshore wind farms are already proving effective elsewhere.  

The turbines are enormous but so are traditional transmission lines and cooling towers.   

However, the proposed windfarms in Bass Strait are very close to the flyways of migratory birds and their feeding and breeding grounds in Western Port and other coastal areas. 

I am also very concerned about impacts on whales migrating through Bass Straight.  

The map on page 5 (ST 30/6) showed the proposed development areas from Phillip Island to the Prom.  

There are very narrow channels of open water between the sites (in green) and the 4.8 kms channel to the mainland.  

The danger of such large animals beaching in shallow water would be very high, especially in the migration season with greater numbers trying to pass through a bottleneck. 

Whales also have very sensitive hearing, and turbine noise and vibrations could affect them in crucial ways. 

Has any research been undertaken on the environmental impacts on these waters and the life-forms which inhabit and pass through them? 

Anne Heath Mennell, Tenby Point