Offshore installation firm Subsea 7, Australian company Spark Renewables, and international floating wind farm developer Simply Blue Group have created a consortium to pursue floating offshore wind development offshore New South Wales (NSW), Australia, in the Hunter and Illawarra regions.
According to the consortium, the recently declared Hunter-Central Coast and Illawarra Renewable Energy Zones offer good opportunities to support the development of floating wind alongside the potential future Commonwealth offshore wind zones, including the proposed Hunter offshore wind area.
The consortium said Wednesday it had come together because it "brings complementary expertise from world-leading companies, ensuring the deliverability of the projects proposed."
Australia’s emerging offshore wind industry provides a potential pathway for the thousands of jobs expected to transition from existing industries into renewable energy. This is a critical opportunity for workers in New South Wales, as the state seeks to decarbonize its energy supply.
Subsea7 has previously partnered with Simply Blue Group on the Salamander floating offshore wind project in Scotland.
Darren Cormell, Subsea 7, VP Floating Wind, said: “There is a great potential to enable an offshore wind energy solution for the New South Wales population, and achieving a cleaner energy mix for the future. With more than a decade of successful delivery of large-scale offshore wind developments, group capabilities that span early development phases through to delivery, and a successful track record of more than 40 years in offshore projects in Australia, we are excited to bring our capabilities and experience to making floating wind in New South Wales possible.”
Sam Roch-Perks, Group CEO, Simply Blue Group, said: “With a long coastline and stable continental shelf, we see huge potential for offshore floating wind projects off New South Wales. The State Government of New South Wales has announced key Renewable Energy Zones making it clear that it’s committed to a diverse, affordable, modern energy system, with wind energy firmly in the mix. I’m looking forward to meeting again personally with local stakeholders over the coming weeks to further progress our plans. We hope to bring the valuable lessons learnt from our existing global portfolio of over 10 GW of floating wind projects to Australia.”
Head of Spark Renewables, Anthony Marriner, said: “The consortium will investigate the suitability of areas for developing an offshore wind farm within the proposed Hunter offshore area and the foreshadowed Illawarra offshore area. Community-wide and stakeholder-specific consultation with ecological agencies, Traditional Owners, Australian maritime, aviation and defence must inform any site identification process before we proceed to determining specific projects. As an NSW-based company, we understand the community issues, and this is a key focus for us on all our projects. We are excited by the opportunities that offshore wind projects can bring to NSW, including an increase in local manufacturing and, therefore more jobs to support the local economy.”