This man knew in early 2022 wind towers wouldn't be made at BlueScope

As executive director of Keppel Prince, an engineering firm in Victoria which makes the towers, he could see the problem early on.

It has been revealed in the past week that the wind tower manufacturing facility has been dropped from BlueScope's Advanced Steel Manufacturing Precinct (ASMAP) plans because it was too difficult to transport the components out of Wollongong.

In early 2022 Mr Garner had seen the federal government announce a $55 million grant for BlueScope's ASMAP.

There were promises the wind tower manufacturing facility would create 200 jobs at Port Kembla - 140 permanent positions at the wind tower facility.

But Mr Garner knew the size of the structures which customers would want was too great to fit under the bridges on the leadup to Mount Ousley.

"We went through all this process some 18 months ago and advised the relevant authorities of the issues that existed," Mr Garner told the Mercury on Wednesday.

"It was after that [the funding announcement) that the realisation came, when all the homework was starting to be done.

"We wanted to build the tower factory there and then the the realisation came - well hang on, transport's going be an issue because of the, the diameter of these things.

"I think with Port Kembla, the only thing we looked at is you can do it, but you have got to run down the main street - and that's not gonna happen.

"And I have to say the growth, the rapid growth of the tower diameter, has really only happened in the last couple of years."

With tower heights increasing, the width of the pylons' lower sections has also increased to above six metres - more than the five metre diameter which cold fit under bridges such as University Ave at Keiraville.

Mr Garner said his company was still enthusiastic about establishing a wind tower manufacturing facility to service the renewable energy zones (REZ) in NSW - or perhaps Queensland.

"I think the opportunity still exists in NSW ... but I'm just not sure that it's going to be the Port Kembla region. We still want to supply the steel for all being Australian steel.

"But I think the opportunity to actually have that factory where we were originally proposing it at the Port Kembla steelworks, is pretty much out of the question."

BlueScope's EIS cited advice from Transport for NSW (TfNSW) that alternative routes through Wollongong - such as via Corrimal St and Mtr Ousley Rd) were not appropriate.

However TfNSW told the Mercury on Thursday that the government was still "investigating several route options and road upgrades to support the movement of equipment for windfarms out of Port Kembla".

This was not specific to BlueScope's plans but for wind components more generally.

BlueScope has said it is still hopeful to find a manufacturing partner and location for wind towers - but the location, and the jobs that go with it, are likely to be in NSW's Central West.