A consortium between BlueFloat Energy, Energy Estate and Elemental Group is planning a multibillion-dollar investment in a 1.4GW offshore wind farm off South Auckland and West Waikato in New Zealand.
The South Auckland-Waikato offshore wind project is the second investment to be announced by the partnership in New Zealand as part of a nation-wide programme to develop up to 5GW of offshore wind.
The Waikato Offshore Wind project would be developed in phases to generate capacity of up to 1.4GW of power using both fixed and floating foundation technology and capable of powering around 700,000 homes.
Phase 1 of the project is for a circa 250MW development using fixed bottom technology 22km off the West Waikato coast. The initial phase would create around 300 jobs in construction, operations and maintenance.
Options for Phase 2 utilise floating foundations and include the potential for an 800-1,150MW development positioned to the west or north of Phase 1. Conservatively Phase 2 will create an additional 800 jobs with the potential for additional jobs dependent on the size of the project.
The consortium has completed its initial site selection and the project is now in the feasibility stage with construction expected to commence before 2030. The lifecycle of offshore wind farms is around 35-40 years at which point they would be decommissioned or re-furbished – providing decades of enduring employment opportunities and a secure supply of renewable generation to the Waikato and Auckland regions.
“We believe that offshore wind energy can help achieve 600% renewable energy in Aotearoa creating security of supply for the country, meeting increased demands for electrification and decarbonisation.” said BlueFloat Energy CEO Carlos Martin.
“Overbuilding of renewables capacity and increasing energy storage was recently described by Energy Minister Megan Woods as ‘mission critical’ and we are keen to support the Government in achieving their energy ambitions. We welcome the announcement of a regulatory framework for offshore wind by mid-2024 and are pleased this is a key focus for the Government.”