Offshore wind project says it’s “fully prepared” as it heads into full environmental assessment

Plans to develop a 1 gigawatt wind farm in waters off the coast of Gippsland in Victoria have progressed into the next stage of the federal environmental assessment process, marking the latest small step forward for the nascent Australian offshore wind industry.

The Blue Mackerel project first appeared in the EPBC queue at the start of the month, with developer Jera Nex bp seeking a green tick for its proposal to install up to 70 wind turbines around 10 km from the shore between Woodside and Seaspray in Victoria’s south east.

This week, the federal government confirmed Blue Mackerel is a controlled action – no surprises there – and will require full assessment and approval under the EPBC Act before it can proceed.

The notice from the federal environment minister says the project will be assessed by environmental impact statement (EIS) to evaluate potential impacts on marine species, migratory birds and the marine environment, among other things.

“An EIS represents the highest level of environmental assessment, and we are fully prepared for that responsibility,” Blue Mackerel’s manager of environmental and planning approvals, Kim Downs, said on Tuesday.

“With our team of scientific experts and experienced environmental impact assessors, Blue Mackerel is committed to delivering a scientifically rigorous EIS and ensuring environmental impacts are minimised and managed to the high standards set by Australian regulators.”

Blue Mackerel was one of the first projects to be awarded a feasibility licence for its spot in the Gippsland offshore wind zone and, last October, was further awarded Major Project Status by the federal government, in a nod to its key role in weaning the state and national grid off coal.

But it is also one of the most contentious of the nine projects still lining up to compete in the Victorian government’s offshore wind auction in August, due to its proximity to the shores of the 90 Mile Beach that connects the two Gippsland region towns.

To address community concerns about the visual impact of the turbines, the project team has held a number of community information and drop-in sessions and provides extensive information on the project website.

The website also offers 17 different visualisations of what the wind farm would look like from 17 different viewpoints along the coastline of 90 Mile Beach via a visualisation tool, including the above image from the beach neat the Seaspray Surf Club.

A separate set of visualisations on the website offer comparative visualisations using both 15 MW turbines and bigger 18.5 MW turbines.

In a LinkedIn post this week, Blue Mackerel says it will undertake a detailed assessment of potential impacts and measures to avoid and  minimise impacts, the findings of which will guide its design and make sure stringent regulatory requirements are met.

“Further information on the EIS process, including opportunities for public input, will be shared as studies continue,” the post says.

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