BlueFloat Energy and Energy Estate have unveiled the first three offshore wind farms totalling 4300MW that they are developing together in Australia.
The projects include the 1.4GW Hunter Coast, which will use floating technology and will be located off the coast south of Newcastle in the Hunter Coast region of New South Wales.
The second will be the 1.6GW Wollongong, which will also use floating technology and be located across two sites off the coast from Wollongong in the Illawarra region of the same state.
The 1.3GW Greater Gippsland project will use bottom-fixed technology and be located off the coast of the Gippsland region of Victoria.
The partnership is also assessing a number of additional sites in each of Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania and they plan to announce further projects in early 2022.
Nick Sankey, based in Melbourne, has been appointed as country manager for BlueFloat Energy to help accelerate development activities.
Sankey said: “The timing of our announcement comes hot on the heels of Australia’s Federal Government passing legislation that provides a framework for developing offshore wind projects here.
“This is a pivotal step as the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Bill 2021 establishes a regulatory scaffold to enable the construction, installation, commissioning, operation, maintenance, and decommissioning of offshore electricity infrastructure.”
The partnership combines BlueFloat Energy‘s global experience in offshore wind with Energy Estate’s strong local presence, development expertise and track record.
The companies said they share a vision that offshore wind is a key enabling technology for Australia as the nation pivots from fossil fuels to a net zero future.
BlueFloat Energy has a growing pipeline of offshore wind projects in multiple markets, and the first three projects in Australia build on the recent announcement of the partnership with Energy Estate and Elemental Group in New Zealand.
BlueFloat Energy chief executive Carlos Martin said: “Offshore wind energy is booming globally and now it is Australia’s time.
“We are excited by the prospect of introducing the two types of offshore wind technology (floating and fixed) into Australia, as this will enable us to harness some of the best offshore wind resources globally.
“The combination of world-class wind resources, the transition from fossil fuels, and suitable maritime conditions is an ideal platform for large-scale energy infrastructure projects being built close to load sources.
“As experts in offshore wind development with strong technical knowledge, Bluefloat Energy are excited about what can be achieved here in Australia.”
BlueFloat Energy and Energy Estate share the same ethos and development principles with a focus on local and Indigenous participation as well as early engagement and delivering enduring benefits for stakeholders and communities.
Their goal is to build an industry, not just projects, the companies said.
This will be done by promoting common infrastructure solutions with other offshore wind developers, such as shared transmission corridors and offshore transmission networks.
They also intend to assess how offshore wind can integrate into local ecosystems that include largescale long duration energy storage, green hydrogen and e-fuels production.
Finally, the pair will encourage the development of clean industrial precincts with partners at suitable ports and attracting new manufacturing capabilities to Australia.
In addition Bluefloat Energy and Energy Estate said they acknowledge that Australia’s Traditional Owners are the custodians of the land and the sea where our projects will be located.
The developers said they will work closely with them in order to fully understand their connection to and relationship with the land and waters, as well as exploring a range of opportunities to partner with them in the offshore wind industry.
Energy Estate director of engagement Rosie King said: “BlueFloat Energy and Energy Estate’s shared set of values includes actively taking steps to support training and promoting opportunities for workers to move into new roles that will be created by the offshore wind industry.
“We believe that the best outcomes for stakeholders and local communities will be achieved if governments and the industry collaborate from the outset.
“Change can be viewed as unsettling, but not if it is managed properly by open engagement with those impacted.”