The Federal Department of Climate Change is seeking feedback from the public on the possible effects of future offshore renewable energy projects in the Pacific Ocean off the Hunter and Central Coast, including offshore wind projects.
Submissions for the consultation will close at 11:59pm tonight, Friday 28 April.
Some local residents are calling for an extension to the consultation period due to a general lack of knowledge of the proposal by the affected public.
One man who contacted CCN and wished to remain anonymous said he feared that most locals had little or no knowledge of the proposals saying: “The proposals have not been widely advertised or discussed in the media and I fear many interested people will not have a chance to have their say.
“Only one public consultation meeting was held on the Central Coast at Wamberal on March 6, though almost no-one knew about it,” he said
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water is undertaking a formal public feedback consultation online as a way to gather people’s thoughts prior to the department creating a formal licencing system for renewable energy projects in Commonwealth waters.
Federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen has proposed an area in Australian Commonwealth waters off the Hunter region for offshore renewable energy projects.
Commonwealth waters start three nautical miles from the coastline and extend to the boundary of Australia’s exclusive economic zone.
The Australian Government wants to manage the offshore marine environment in a way that recognises all users and balances competing interests. Offshore renewable energy projects must share the area with other users and activities.
Interested parties are encouraged to see the online portal for more details: https://consult.dcceew.gov.au/oei-hunter
David Abrahams
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