Offshore renewable energy infrastructure area proposal: Pacific Ocean off Hunter

Building offshore wind farms will help to transition our electricity supply to renewables and thereby reduce carbon emissions. Climate change is a massive existential threat to us all and to our children and grandchildren. So I welcome this project. I expect that it will help to lower electricity prices during night hours.

My main concerns are potential impact on marine life. The construction and operation of the turbines should not be allowed to affect the health or safety of whales moving up and down our coast. And the turbine designers should endeavour to minimise bird strikes and impacts; and to design the turbines so that they can act as artifical reefs and act as a habitat for marine species.

I do not care about the visual impact.

I would like to see a ban on fishing in this area. We have very few marine parks in the region to protect fish breeding areas. With a ban this might potentially act as one, providing more catch for fishers just outside the banned zone.

I am in favour of the minister altering the zone to 25km further south if needed to accommodate this project and to explore any mitigation measures that could reduce the proposed 46km exclusion zone for the RAAF base.

From the explanation given to me regarding the on shore transmission at the information sessions I have no concerns about this aspect of the project.

I would prefer fishing be banned from the zone and the wind farm be designed to act as an artificial reef and to encourage fish and other marine species. To hopefully act as a fish breeding area to increase the catch for fishers just out of the zone.

I have no concern about the visual impact. I like the look of wind turbines.

I would like the materials and the design of the turbines and the construction to be as sustainable as possible, non polluting and recyclable.