A commercial fisherman fears his livelihood is under threat after last-minute changes to a new offshore wind farm were approved.
The federal government on Saturday completed final modifications to the 100-hectare parcel of sea where the $10 billion project will be built.
Around 1.8 million homes are expected to be powered by floating wind turbines located 20 kilometers off the Illawarra coast of New South Wales, south of Sydney.
The project was initially planned to be developed just 10km from the coast, where local fisherman Mark Horne fished for lobsters for a living, but was changed at the last minute.
Fearing his fishing spot would disappear, Mr. Horne invested $500,000 in a new boat to expand into new fishing areas, which is now obsolete following the amendments.
A last-minute change to the boundaries of the proposed offshore wind farm has left fisherman Mark Horne (right) furious after a $500,000 investment became obsolete.
The fisherman said 2GB Ben Fordham Monday that the government’s decision to move forward with the project was “devastating,” adding that it “can’t win a victory.”
“In the blink of an eye on Saturday morning that half a million dollar investment now has to be… put it on the back burner,” fumed Mr Horne.
He took aim at federal energy minister Chris Bowen for pushing through the proposed wind farm despite concerns from locals and commercial fishermen.
“(Mr Bowen) didn’t want a word…his decision was already made,” Horne said.
“Any of the politicians or interested people can come to Kiama, I will personally take them and show them crystal clear waters.”
He added that the impact on commercial fishermen was not taken into account despite doing everything possible to make the industry sustainable.
The fisherman also expressed concern about the possible ecological impact of the wind farm, which could be affected by huge waves.
“It’s just an environmental catastrophe waiting to happen … if one of them catches fire or collapses or breaks loose,” he said.
“There has to be a better way than putting (wind turbines) in one of the most pristine oceans in the world.”
Horne said he bought a new boat believing his lobster fishing spot would be on the edge of the offshore wind farm (file image), only for the government to move it further from the coast.
The $10 billion project will be built 20km off the Illawarra coast (highlighted) and is expected to power around 1.8 million homes upon completion.
Federal Labor MP for Gilmore Fiona Phillips hailed the wind farm as “great news for jobs and local businesses” in her electorate.
“This is about adding more renewable energy to the grid, which will provide energy security and put downward pressure on energy prices for everyone in Gilmore,” he said in a statement Monday.
“It’s good news for local homes, businesses and jobs.”
The local member and Mr Bowen estimated that the project will create approximately 1,740 new jobs during construction and will add 870 ongoing jobs upon completion.
Ms Phillips’ comments sparked outrage from locals.
‘Classic case of destroying the environment to save it. Surely there are better options than this unaffordable madness,” one wrote.
Another added: ‘I heard the other week that it costs 2.5 times more per wind turbine to build on water than on land! And we are all paying for this.”
Another challenged the government to plan a wind farm “outside Bondi Beach and see how green and environmentally friendly it is then”.
“I’m tired of the Illawarra being used as crash test dummies for the rest of Sydney,” they wrote.
The project has angered locals who challenged the government to install a wind farm on more popular coasts such as Sydney’s eastern beaches (file image).
Bowen said the government had taken “community concerns” into account when determining the final zone and reduced the size of the area by a third from the original proposal.
The declared zone, which is the fourth in Australia, “excludes significant environmental areas”, including the migration and breeding zone of the southern right whale, and an area designed to protect the population of little penguins.
‘This is important for renewable energies, important for employment. But this is also a balanced statement,” said Mr Bowen.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water for comment.
