Massive $2bn wind farm shelved in Kingston

A massive wind farm project in the state’s South East has been shelved with environmental groups claiming its ‘good news for the whales’.

Environmental groups have welcomed the shelving of a proposal to build a $1.75 billion wind farm that was planned to be built 10km off Kingston in the state’s South East after the developer withdrew its application with the federal government.

The Australian reported the proponents, German-based Skyborn Renewables and Australis Energy, had withdrawn from the environmental approval process without explanation.

Multiple efforts to contact Skyborn Australia’s managing director Mirjam Tome were unsuccessful.

The link to the Kingston project on the Australis Energy site no longer works.

However, a spokesperson for the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water confirmed the proponent on December 10 had requested a withdrawal from its referral under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

When the project was announced in 2021, the project planned to house 75 turbines, measuring up to 260m high, generating 600MW of energy, enough to power 400,000 homes.

At the time, the company said SA Offshore Windfarm Pty Ltd would create 800 jobs in the construction phase, plus a further 100 long-term positions.

However, the project ran into early opposition with environmental groups concerned about the impact construction and operation would have on whales and seabirds.

A spokesperson for Encounter Whales - Southern Right Whale Conservation and Protection, Elizabeth Steele-Collins, welcomed the applicants withdrawal saying it was “good news for the whales’’.

“We are all for renewable energy that helps solve the challenges faced with climate change and global warming,” she said.

The project which was to be built 10km off Kingston in the state’s South East has been shelved. Picture: Thomas Traasdahl

“However, decision makers must be very careful that the solutions considered don’t create even more problems.

“There is no point in the Commonwealth having a ‘National Recovery Plan’ to protect the endangered southern right whales and their migration corridors, if it is going to be ignored in favour of every economic opportunity that comes along.’’

Friends of Shorebirds SE spokesperson Maureen Christie also welcomed the decision.

“Friends of Shorebirds are pleased the project has been shelved but we would feel better if it was actually rejected,’’ she said.

The project was originally to be built in a mix of state and federal-controlled seas, but in June 2023 state Planning Minister Nick Champion said he would “not grant a development authorisation for the development – thereby ending further assessment of the application.

Mr Champion said the project had the “potential to cause real harm to local aquaculture and fisheries industries and risk to our marine parks’’.

SA Offshore said at the time it would move the project further offshore to commonwealth waters, partly because it would be further away from commercial rock lobster areas,

Another wind farm, called Southern Winds, is still planned for an area further down the South East coast.

That proposed farm, to be built by Blue Float Energy, stretches from Port MacDonnell to Portland in Victoria, with 77 turbines to generate 1100GW of power.