Harvey Shire president hopeful of thorough community consultation for wind farm proposal off Binningup coast

A huge wind farm planned off Binningup has raised concerns for local residents even though they will be unlikely to see it from shore. The Harvey shire president will put residents’ concerns over the environmental impact and potential harm to wildlife to representatives of project proponents Copenhagen Energy at a meeting on Monday. Federal Government authorities are poised to fire the starting gun on what is likely to be a bruising public consultation period on Copenhagen Energy’s proposed Leeuwin Offshore Wind Farm, which would be located 20km off the coast of the seaside community. Harvey Shire president Michelle Campbell said she hoped to get a better understanding of the proposal for Binningup residents. “I have been up to Binningup and there have been some concerns about offshore wind farm, so I hope there is a good consultation plan,” she said. “The main concerns are the impacts on birds and fish, and although they won’t be able to see it, the fact that it is out there.” Canberra’s green light will be a huge step forward for the company, which wants to station 200 turbines, each 280m tall, in Federal waters. Its renewable energy mega-project would double the capacity of the South West’s electricity system, but there are still many hurdles to clear. The turbines will generate such an astonishing amount of electricity — enough for three million homes — that the network of poles and wires they feed via subsea cables will need a $300 million upgrade. Copenhagen Energy is negotiating with Western Power about who bears the cost of that reinforcement so the grid can cope with an extra three gigawatts annually. There also are questions about whether Bunbury port has the capacity to handle the huge structures when they are imported. The audacious project is being showcased this week at the World Energy Cities Partnership event, which is hosted by the City of Perth. The three-day event, which aims to turn participating cities into “innovation laboratories” for the energy transition, will bring dozens of VIPs from around the world to Perth. The proposal for the Leeuwin Offshore Wind Farm received a boost recently when it was awarded “lead agency status” by the WA Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation. The status was created by the State Government to streamline approvals for significant projects which could create jobs and development opportunities. As a result, the project will be provided assistance with the approvals process across State, Federal and local government agencies. Copenhagen Energy says the project will offset more than six million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year. Up to 14,500 jobs were predicted for the project per gigawatt of generating capacity during the construction phase, with 200 jobs during its operation. The Leeuwin Offshore Wind Farm is one of three similar projects slated for the coast off Bunbury and Binningup. The Myalup Offshore Windfarm Project, a joint venture between German-based Skyborn Renewables and Britain’s Australis Energy, is planning 300MW of power generation 5.5km offshore. Melbourne-based company Oceanex Energy is proposing a 2000MW farm consisting of about 100 turbines located 30km offshore.