Illawarra Offshore Wind Farms

What's the use complaining? Just get used to it! (somebody said that)

If you don't fight, you don't win..... (Bill Whiley said that)

Contents

1. Introduction
2. Response and reaction
3. Entering the affray
4. Fence sitting
5. Summary
6. References

1. Introduction

On 5 August 2022 the Australian federal government announced ('declared') Australia's first six offshore wind zones for the generation of energy through the construction of wind farms. One of the proposed zones was to be located in the Pacific Ocean (Tasman Sea) off the Illawarra coast of New South Wales, approximately 50 miles (80 kilometres) south of Sydney. Aside from industry support, almost immediately there was a strong local community reaction, both for and against the proposal. Those in support saw the obvious environmental benefits, as fossil fuel power generation was phased out and solar and wind were the main replacement options, averting the need for toxic alternatives such as nuclear. They also pointed to economic and social benefits, including job creation, and the security of local industry and energy supply. Those in opposition raised issues such as visual pollution, threats to sea life and birds, and a continuation of the reliance on expensive commercial, large-scale energy grids (e.g. poles and wires) rather than localised, individual and community-based alternatives which are presented as cheaper for both operators and the consumer. Outside of Australia, similar campaigns were being fought, with accusations of interference and manipulation by both right wing and left wing activists, think tanks and political players, including politicians (Escalante-De Mattei 2023). It was a mess, with traditional environmental, social, economic and political allegiances thrown into disarray over an issue that was now to be dumped upon the people of the Illawarra.

By early 2023 the community opposition and support, especially in the northern Illawarra, began to intensify. During an unexpected encounter, the author spoke to an individual environmentalist who was very upset - incredulous actually - that there was any opposition to an offshore wind farm, and who was unable to understand why this would occur. The environmental impacts of wind power generation are generally positive, and this is widely accepted by governments and communities around the world. However, not so well known are the social and environmental concerns which are often expressed at the local, community level. This was to manifest in the Illawarra as the campaigns for and against gathered steam. Didn't somebody once say: All politics is local?

The Australian government opened public consultations on the proposal from 14 August through to 15 November 2023. In association with that, the following documents were made available:

• Interactive Map of the Proposed Area – Illawarra region, NSW

• Overview of the Offshore Renewable Energy Process [PDF]

• Overview of the Proposed Area Illawarra [423kB PDF] [1.5MB DOCX] General information relating to the proposed area and providing feedback

• Marine Users and Interests - Illawarra region [397kB PDF] [407kB DOCX] A non-exhaustive list of identified interests provided to facilitate conversations about the potential suitability of the area for offshore renewable energy

• Frequently Asked Questions - Illawarra [298kB PDF] [869kB DOCX]

• Variation to Notice of Proposal to Declare an Area - Illawarra region NSW [386kB PDF] [2.13MB DOCX]

• Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Act - Proposed Area - Illawarra Region (shapefile) [7kB ZIP]

This was accompanied by a visit to the region from Chris Bowen, the Energy Minister.

Plans to create offshore wind zone in Illawarra, ABC News, 14 August 2023, YouTube, duration: 2.08 minutes.

2. Response and reaction

A number of commercial operators immediately went public in their support for the proposal, releasing preemptive websites which outlined the ~$10B project in some detail and, in one instance, calling for registrations of interest from local businesses. Some of the local, national and international companies who showed interest, and are referenced below, include: BlueFoat Energy, Energise Renewables, Equinor (formerly StatOil / BP Oil), Illawarra Offshore Wind, Infrastructure Partnerships / Pipelines, and Oceanex. The South Coast Labour Council was also a strong supporter of the initiative. Other industry players were not as supportive, including the Australian Fishing Trade Association, which highlighted issues of concern, such as the implementation of area exclusion zones, noise generation and electromagnetic impulses that affect migration patterns of fish, mammals and sea birds, habitat loss, collision risks, defence issues and impacts on fishing (AFTA 2023).

On 29 October 2023 a large rally in opposition to the wind farm proposal was held at Wollongong lighthouse (Croxon 2023, Varley 2023).

Wollongong anti wind farm rally, 29 October 2023.

By 4 November 2023 a variety of social media groups had formed on Facebook. The listing of them below is arranged according to the publically identified number of members, or followers, as of that date, with those opposed outnumbering those in support:

- No Offshore Wind Farms Illawarra (6.9K members)

- No Offshore Wind Farm for the Illawarra (3.4K members)

- Coalition Against Offshore Wind: Community Forum (1.9K members)

- Good for the Gong - Offshore Wind and Discussion Group (709 members)

- Illawarra Wind Farms Discussion Group (Private, 505 members)

- Power to the People - Wind Power Illawarra (350 followers)

- Action Planning: Stop the Wind Farm Illawarra (Private, 132 members)

- The Illawarra Wind Farm Discussion (Private, 67 members)

- Illawarra Wind Farm Facts and More (28 members)

Information was also available on numerous social media sites, including Instagram postings. The groups were active, and the discussions therein lively. Illawarra was not the only region on Australia's east coast to see opposition to offshore wind farms, as evidenced by the existence of the following Facebook sites:

- No Coastal Wind Farms, Port Stephens (8.3K members)

- YES to Wind Farm Collective, Central Coast, Hunter, Port Stephens (319 members)

The are also onshore wind farm equivalents in support and opposition, as there are to large solar panel arrays which are being constructed in country areas of Australia. This reveals the diversity of opinion across the continent, and overseas, in regards to how society is dealing with climate change and moving towards more environmentally friendly and economically sustainable energy generation alternatives. There is no doubt that solar and wind, being 'free', are attractive to government, business and large sections of the community, especially the environmental sector. It is also clear that there are associated social, economic, environmental and political issues there. To the present author it appears that, as of 2023, the early 2000s opposition to land-based wind farms has waned as the impact of climate change has become more obvious (Australian Government 2011).

Goulburn wind farms, YouTube, 10 October 2023, duration: 1.01 minutes.

There is now a worldwide trend towards the use of offshore wind farms, as commercial energy generators enter the arena and as fossil fuels become more on the nose politically and economically. Whilst community opposition may stall, or stop, local projects, it will not, in the end, stem their tide on the global level. Wind turbines will continue to kill bird life, just as bird strikes remain an issue with aircraft. The fact is, there will be a winner in this race, and wind turbine implementations are definitely being taken up by the powers that be. However, as a 2022 Nature journal on Ocean Sustainability pointed out:

Offshore wind energy is widely regarded as one of the most credible sources for increasing renewable energy production towards a resilient and decarbonised energy supply. However, current expectations for the expansion of energy production from offshore wind may lead to significant environmental impacts. Assessing ecological risks to marine ecosystems from electricity production from wind is both timely and vital. It will support the adoption of management measures that minimize impacts and the environmental sustainability of the offshore wind energy sector. (Galparsoro 2022)

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3. Entering the affray

On 5 November 2023 the present author entered the Facebook discussion arena in response to a comment on the Good for the Gong site that, in order to fully understand the implications of the ocean wind farm proposal, individuals needed to rely in the information provided by government and academia. Personal opinion was largely negated. This was problematic in the view of the present author, as the following commentary reveals:

Original posting: As a rule of thumb, reliability increases roughly as follows (and should be obvious): 1. An individual's opinion / memes / cartoons; 2. A blog / activist / lobby group; 3. Media (there is a big gradation (Guardian to SKY news), but the ABC has a good record for checking its sources. Journalists filter information according to their experience and biases); 4. Government research organisations / universities. Unfortunately, Google and other search engines may deliver you results according to what you've looked at before (confirmation bias). The most reliable information is not often readily accessible. It is either in the grey literature or behind a paywall. Good media articles refer to their sources (reports, papers, media releases) so follow that up and look at the original to see the unfiltered version. I'm following some of the anti-renewable energy activist groups in Wollongong. They are full of misinformation, mostly from the first two on the list ("wind turbines ruin hang gliding", "turbines kill whales" etc).

Whilst the posting contained a lot of truth, and good advice, its bias towards academic and government information as the only "source of truth" was considered problematic by the present author. The following response to the posting therefore primarily addressed those issues of reliance upon such information and the increasing move towards censorship and self-censorship by government, academia and social media platforms in efforts to limit so-called misinformation / disinformation, with the latter now defined by some governments - such as Canada - as information that they do not necessarily agree with or want made public, though that same information may be factually correct and necessarily of public interest. This censorship, which became very evident during the years of the COVID-19 pandemic (2019-2022), gave rise to a bias which was supported by government, officialdom and sections of the academy. As a result, faith in those long-trusted "sources of truth" was diminished, and remains so. In the wake of such a censorial environment, there is now an obvious need for more critical thinking on the part of individuals. Herein follows the present author's response:

Author: Every person has to do their own research, from any source they can find. In a world where legislation says that "only what government says is true; governments never lie; if governments label something misinformation or disinformation then we have to believe them" then I trust no person or group any more. Research articles are not infallible, but can be biased according to who paid for the research. Blogs, memes, personal opinions, Wikipedia, etc. etc., can all contain truth, lies, information, misinformation, facts, exaggerations etc..... As individuals we have to do our own research, and form our own opinion. For every fact in this wind turbine argument there is an opposing fact. Ask a lawyer.

Response: That's a counsel of despair. It's impossible to do our own research. We have to rely on large scale research by people with appropriate qualifications publishing their research with evidence and disclosure.

Author: By "doing our own research" I, of course, mean we have to make our own assessment of the information we find (i.e., do our own research), from a variety of sources, good, bad and indifferent, and perhaps develop an opinion, or wider perspective, especially if the issue is complex. For example, if somebody says there are no negative environmental effects of wind turbines, and I see a video of an eagle killed when it strikes a wind turbine blade, I then need to take that information on board in forming my overall and personal opinion about this issue. If I understand that wind turbine energy generation is a better alternative to fossil and nuclear fuel energy generation, then I also take that on board - it is an obvious "no brainer" to me. We cannot blindly parrot everything we find, nor can any individual understand, or become aware of, every issue in this debate. We have to form our own opinion and then move forward. If, for example, we have the opinion expressed: "I don't like the look of turbines off the beach," and that is the totality of an opinion, and it is felt that nothing else matters by the person holding that opinion, then so be it. There is no simple answer, or answers, in this present debate. As the 1966 song said, "Nobody's right, if everybody's wrong," or, perhaps more relevant in 2023, what is information and what is disinformation or misinformation? I, for example, am still forming my opinion, based on the myriad of issues involved, and my own limited knowledge. This will take some time, and, in fact, might never be resolved. Such is life. I will therefore continue to "do my own research", perhaps making use of a blog, which will include my own opinions, examples of the various arguments, links to academic research, videos, and pictures. That's something that is relatively easy to do in 2023. Having been involved in numerous community and environmental campaigns over the years, I am very much aware that they are made up of two things: (1) personal opinions, and (2) facts. The two are not always in sync.....

Response: I don't understand. With things like climate change, effectiveness of vaccines, and benefit/harm of wind turbines, our decisions have to make use of some sort of filtering by expertise. [End of discussion]

The final response is, of course, true, and tied in with the author's own previous response. As a person with a degree in science, the basing of views on government information, facts, academic research, and the like is the norm. Also, as an historian, there is a recognition of the value of first-hand accounts, local knowledge, the alternative views often expressed within those other sources but not promoted or emphasised, and the lessons of history. As such, in this post COVID-19 era, where we saw governments ignore the science and or manipulate it, and where the internet has exposed the manipulations of government, industry, media and others in creating public perceptions, we therefore need to be more skeptical, vigilant and realistic about forming opinions and blindly following what they present us with. Yes, base it on the information provided by experts in the field, but also remember that, for example, with the whale issue there are arguments for and against the level of impact. We are faced with a complex issue here, and the deeper one delves, the more complex it becomes. We encounter both positives and negatives. There is always a need to be open and accountable; to make information and the truth both visible and available in the public consultation process, so that down the track we are not left with the "but I did not realise that" or "I was not told" concern / excuse. I think the idea of a devil's advocate remains relevant in this day and age, especially for those of us with deep concerns regarding our local environment and the welfare of our community.

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4. Fence sitting

So what does the present author think of the proposed Illawarra wind farm? If truth be told, he neither totally supports nor totally opposes wind farms, either onshore or offshore. There are valid reasons for both positions, and in both locations, and there always will be. The concerns over visual pollution and negative environmental impacts are just as real as those over the impact of fossil fuel and nuclear fuel energy generation on climate change and the environment. Some of the issues in this debate are local, some are national, and some global. All have a place at the table in decision making in this instance. For every positive there is a negative, and vice versa, with one side eventually winning out, and the other side loosing. There will be no consensus on this one. The NIMBY (Not In My BackYard) factor also comes into play on such occasions. It is real and relevant and has merit, as local knowledge is vital in securing the best outcomes for local communities. To ignore that has, over time, proven not to be the wisest form of decision making.

As a result, the present author sits at his laptop, typing away with both a NIMBY hat on and a global ecowarrior t-shirt, which is proudly worn. What does this mean? Sitting on the fence? Yes. Definitely. For the time being at least. Some of the arguments in opposition to the wind farm personally resonate with the writer, who throughout his 67 years has spent a lot of time sitting down on the beach starring out across the ocean to the distant horizon. Just as the erection of houses high up on the Illawarra escarpment cause him pain, so also the thought of the industrialisation of the ocean off Bulli was initially greeted with a hugh sign ...aaaaaaah.... of regret. When arguments about impacts on sea life and birds were raised, they added to his angst over the issue, and, as one would suspect within the Illawarra region, he was not alone in feeling this way back in 2022 when this issue was first raised.

For many of those who grew up on the coast, the ocean is a sacred place of both fun and contemplation; of surfing and swimming; or of simply starring, taking time out, meditating and re-energizing..... This almost religious aspect of that place where the mountain meets the sea is not something that is going to be 'considered' in any environmental impact statement or social analysis of community concerns. It is a mystical, ephemeral, untouchable feeling. But, like all those other issues mentioned above, it is real. But, is it worthy? Does it have any value, specifically economic? Well ....no. But we are not talking about the housing market here, where the 'view' is a verifiable commodity. This is the same thing, but different, experienced across the board, by young and old, rich and poor. And it - the sacredness we feel regarding the ocean - like that argument against the blott on the landscape created by houses on the escarpment, or the argument to save the old heritage building, will be lost and the ocean wind farm juggernaut will roll on. A fait accompli. So, whilst many of us at various stages in our lives get down off the fence and do the ecowarrior thing, we often also get back up, or just stay put, hiding in plain sight, when it is all just too hard, or, worse still, we just don't care. At the moment of writing the present author is happy to sit up there on the wooden palings, as he did whilst a child in the backyard of the fibro Commission house at Westmacott Parade, Bulli, and get a better view of what exactly is going on, before making that leap of faith (or fact) either way..... Unlike the famous YouTuber, the Critical Drinker, the preference is to continue down the path of Critical Thinker, though with the realisation that The more you know, the more you realise you don't know. This blog is an attempt to know more about the ocean wind farm issue, and, in the writing, develop a view. It may go the NIMBY way, or it may go the ecowarrior way, or it may even go 'and now for something completely different.'

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5. Summary

The Illawarra offshore wind farm will be built. It will give rise to all the significant positive benefits indicated by the proponents and their supporters. This is a good thing. It is also this writer's opinion that all the major issues raised by those in opposition will exist - it will be a blott on the landscape, it will have negative environmental impacts on wildlife (birds and sea creatures) and give rise to many of those impacts normally associated with industrial infrastructure. The latter must not be ignored during the project lifecycle, and should be minimized and ameliorated where possible. Who knows what other positive and negative outcomes will arise? So no, I cannot address this issue with any clarity due to its complexity and my lack of knowledge. As it stands, I both support and oppose. I sit on the fence. The more I know about this issue, the more I realise I do not know, and that no individual is going to be able to convince me to sit on one side of the fence or the other in this instance, whilst ignoring that other side as I do so. Ideally we would not see the industrialisation or commodification of our ocean (though we have enjoyed the benefits of oil rigs and fishing trawlers all our life). Ideally climate change would not be a reality. Ideally we would all live in a natural, unspoiled Eden. The fact is, this is a fait accompli - the government has indicated as much, and the initiative has been brought about by the un-Eden-like reality of human existence, which is clear for all to see in Gaza and the Ukraine, in the polluted oceans of the world, in our own industrial heritage and need for power and commodities and a 2023 lifestyle. It is part of an ongoing existential crisis of existence for many of us. So what does one do with the mute fence sitters who have, or express, no opinion or, even worse, support and oppose both sides? Don't ask me, because I do not know..... I suppose they are best ignored as others actively engage in the campaigns to oppose or support and to effect real, positive and negative change. That is usually the way it works.......

Looking for an opinion......

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6. References

Australian Fishing Trade Association, Offshore Wind Farms - The Impacts, AFTA, 23 June 2023.

Australian Government, The Social and Economic Impact of Rural Wind Farms, Community Affairs References Committee, Select Committee on Wind Turbines, The Senate, Australian Parliament, Submission 450, Attachment 7, June 2011, 131p.

-----, Proposed offshore wind area: Pacific Ocean off Illawarra region, NSW - Consultation Hub, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Australian Government, Canberra, 2023. Consultation closed 15 November 2023. The site included links to the documents listed above.

BlueFloat Energy, South Pacific Offshore Wind Project, BlueFloat Energy, accessed 6 November 2023.

Bulijan, Adrijana, NSW government declares renewable energy zone in Illawarra, offshoreWIND.biz, 27 February 2023.

Christian, Kerrie Anne, Illawarra offshore floating wind turbines - are we there yet?, The Bulli Times, 20 June 2023.

Croxon, Natalie, Anti offshore wind farm rally in Wollongong draws large crowd, Illawarra Mercury, 30 October 2023.

East, Neryl, The case against Illawarra wind energy: Too high a price to pay for desecration of ocean environment, Region Illawarra: Local voices, stronger communities, 10 October 2023.

Electrify 2515, Offshore Wind Proposal - Our View, Electrify 2515, [August 2023].

Energise Renewables, Illawarra, Energise Renewables, accessed 6 November 2023.

Equinor, Illawarra Offshore Wind Farm, TCS / 4C Offshore, 30 August 2022.

Escalante-De Mattei, Energy industry uses whale activists to aid anti-wind farm strategy, experts say - Unwitting whale advocates and right wing think tanks create the impression that offshore wind energy projects endanger cetaceans, The Guardian, 17 July 2023.

Fernandez, Tim, Penny Burfitt, Matt Gazy, and Brooke Chandler, Illawarra Offshore Wind Zone consultation leaves residents divided as some question marine impact, ABC Illawarra, 21 September 2023.

Fernandez, Tim, Kelly Fuller, and Nick Rheinberger, Wollongong scientists back Illawarra offshore wind farm as proposal continues to divide community, ABC Illawarra, 7 October 2023.

Flannery, Tim, The beauty of offshore wind, The Illawarra Flame, 30 September 2023.

Galparsoro, Ibon, Iratxe Menchaca, Joxe Mikel Garmendia, Ángel Borja, Ana D. Maldonado, Gregorio Iglesias & Juan Bald, Reviewing the ecological impacts of offshore wind farms, Nature Partner Journal - Ocean Sustainability, 10 August 2022.

Griffith, Saul, Dr. Saul Griffith on Illawarra Offshore Wind, Electrify 2515, 3 October 2023.

Hill, Daniel, Stop the offshore power stations on the NSW south coast [petition], change.org, 29 November 2022.

Illawarra Offshore Wind, The Illawarra Offshore Wind Farm Project, Offshore Wind (Equinor) and Oceanex Energy, [30 August 2022].

Infrastructure Partnerships, Illawarra Offshore Wind Farm, Infrastructure Pipeline Australia New Zealand, accessed 6 November 2023.

Maritime Union of Australia, Support Offshore Wind in the Illawarra: Our Jobs, Our Industry, Our Coast, Illawarra Offshore Renewable Energy Update, 10 October 2023.

National Wind Watch - Presenting the facts about industrial wind and power [website], accessed 6 November 2023.

No Offshore Turbines [website], Save Our Ocean - No Offshore Turbines, accessed 6 November 2023.

Oceanex, Illawarra Offshore Wind Farm, Oceanex, [30 August 2022].

O'Malley, Nick, Projects hijacked by 'political actors like Peter Dutton suddenly pretending to care about whales,' Sydney Morning Herald, 4 November 2023.

Pearce, Connor, Bringing it home: How Denmark's wind farms will shape Australia's, Illawarra Mercury, 19 September 2023. Hosted on the National Wind Watch website.

-----, Illawarra environmental groups back offshore wind plans, Illawarra Mercury, 23 September 2023.

Swart, Genevieve, Whale of a tale proves to be false, The Illawarra Flame, 11 October 2023.

University of Wollongong, UOW researchers provide in-principal support for offshore wind energy in the Illawarra, University of Wollongong, 4 October 2023.

Varley, Tareyn, Thousands of residents unite to fight Illawarra's offshore wind farms, Illawarra Mercury, 3 October 2023.

Vorrath, Sophie, Consultation opens on fourth development zone off Illawarra coast, Renew Economy: Clean Energy News and Analysis, 14 August 2023.

-----, Offshore wind turbines will "block the sunrise": Illawarra consultation takes a bizarre twist, Renew Economy: Clean Energy News and Analysis, 11 October 2023.

Voyer, Michelle and Tye Christoper, Why Illawarra needs to embrace wind energy as the climate crisis worsens, Region Illawarra: Local voices, stronger communities, 9 October 2023.

Whalan, Mark, Any wind farm of the Illawarra at least seven years away, The Bugle, Kiama, 26 September 2023.

Zellmi, Momen, Australia unveils vision for Illawarra Wind Farm amid environmental concerns, BNN News, October 2023.

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Last updated: 7 November 2023

Michael Organ, Australia