An offshore wind farm could give the Hunter a second life when its coal plant closes — but not everyone’s a fan.
Australians have a love affair with the ocean.
For some, it’s the last wilderness — unspoiled, and relatively untamed.
Standing at the shoreline of Nobby’s Beach in Newcastle, the horizon here could soon change.
Wind turbines, hundreds of metres tall, may end up scattered across these seas.
They could help transform Australia’s energy grid — providing enormous volumes of clean, reliable power.
And that task is increasingly urgent. Australia needs to more than double its renewable generation in less than six years to meet 2030 targets, and continue building rapidly from there.
Some people see wind farms as a threat — to a marine environment, a recovering humpback whale population, and a way of life.
Proponents say wilful misinformation has driven much of that opposition, and hope the argument will be won by the benefits…
