South coast wind farm: Tourism professionals fight against mega offshore farm

A war of words has erupted over a recently approved wind farm off the south coast, with tourism industry professionals fighting against the $10 billion development.

It’s a clean, yet controversial and divisive energy plan for the south coast, but now – just days after a mega offshore wind farm received its tick of approval from the federal government – some in the tourism industry are speaking out against its construction.

The massive wind farm off the Illawarra and Kiama coastline, which will host 300 industrial wind turbines 260 metres tall – almost the height of Sydney’s Centre Point Tower – was given the green light by Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen last week.

The proposed area covers 1,461km and extends offshore of Wombarra in the north to Kiama in the south.

While locals have expressed their opposition against the development, estimated to have a $10 billion construction cost according to Eqiunor Oceanex, tourism industry professionals have revealed how the development will affect their businesses.

Wollongong paraglider Catherine McMillan works closely with paragliding tourism businesses in the south coast region who teach prospective paragliders and also run coastal tours.

Views from the south coast paragliding.

She said the development would have negative affects on the industry both physical and aesthetically.

“People go paragliding in the region because it’s beautiful, they want to see the ocean and the coastline from the sky,” Ms McMillan told The South Coast News. 

Views from the south coast paragliding.

“These giant turbines are going to be nearly 300m tall and it’s going to really affect these views people pay to see.”

However, it wasn’t just altering the views of the coastline which was concerning for Ms McMillan, but the physical wind affects the turbines could cause.

“For us, a concern is the wind because we fly and the wind hitting the escarpment creates an updraft,” she said.

“For paragliding, especially with tours or people who haven’t flown before, we need a beautiful, small and steady sea breeze, but these turbines are going to disrupt this.”

The zone for the south coast offshore wind farm.

Ms McMillan said studies were previously completed looking at how turbines affect the wind for activities like paragliding, however, no studies had been completed for turbines this large.

“Some people like wind turbines, some don’t, I get it’s divisive but I’m personally quite against it,” she said.

A war of words:

The debate surrounding the offshore wind farm has made its way to Federal Gilmore MP Fiona Phillips and the Liberal candidate for Gilmore, Andrew Constance, with Mrs Phillips calling out her opponent as a “hypocrite”, naming him “Cunning Constance”.

The position comes after Mr Constance publicly announced himself as against the wind farm, with Mrs Phillips noting he has been in favour of such developments in the past.

Liberal candidate for Gilmore and Federal Gilmore MP Fiona Phillips.

“Andrew Constance campaigned for Gilmore at the last election on the Coalition’s energy policy, which included offshore wind,” she said.

“What has changed? Why is Andrew Constance now supporting costly, risky nuclear power and opposing offshore wind energy?”

However, Mr Constance said his concern was for the community who would have to deal with the “negative implications” the wind farm could bring.

“Political tit for tat and name calling serves nobody well, when my focus is the community’s welfare in the cost of living crisis and the economic downturn,” he said.

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