BlueFloat Energy and Energy Estate have expanded the size of their Hunter Coast floating offshore wind farm in Australia from 1400MW to 1650MW.
The increase in the capacity of the project is a result of detailed analysis of the investigation area previously announced by the developers and its potential for deployment of floating offshore wind technology.
The Hunter Coast wind farm is located between 20km and 50km off the Hunter-Central Coast region of New South Wales and is within the region identified by the Australian Federal Government as one of the six areas to be assessed for suitability for offshore wind developments.
On 30 September 2022, the New South Wales Government released the draft declaration for the Hunter-Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone, which shows the potential Commonwealth offshore wind zone off the NSW coast.
The expansion factors of the project in the potential size of the Commonwealth offshore wind zone, the region’s robust grid capacity and the accelerated retirement of coal fired energy generation in NSW, Energy Estate said.
It also supports the momentum behind investment in renewable energy created by the new Federal Government as demonstrated by the rapid passage of the Climate Change Bill which enshrines into law emissions reductions of 43% below 2005 levels by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050, the Australian developer added.
A virtual simulation for the wind farm has also been released and was produced by Plain Concepts, a worldwide technology company that uses physically based renders to create realistic images.
The simulation allows you to see how the proposed 110 turbines will look like from 10 points along the coast, both during the day and at night.
BlueFloat Energy chief executive officer Carlos Martin said: “Since we started the development of the Hunter Coast Offshore Wind Project in 2020 the need for new, large-scale generation capacity in the Hunter Central Coast region has accelerated – with the retirement date for the existing coal-fired power stations moving forward by decades.
“I was delighted to meet stakeholders in Newcastle earlier this year and understand first-hand the role that offshore wind can play in the clean energy future for the region, supporting existing energy users, replacing thermal generation and powering new industries like green hydrogen exports and clean manufacturing. “
Energy Estate and BlueFloat Energy partnership Australia country manager Nick Sankey said “We want to be upfront and show coastal communities and users of the sea what our projects will look like.
“For this reason, we have prioritised preparing and releasing accurate visual simulations of our projects.
“The process to create the 3D simulation involves the use of panoramic photographs (taken by a local photographer) from a number of locations, trigonometry, data points and digital technology.
“The output is a realistic and scientifically rigorous visual representation of an offshore wind project.”
Energy Estate director of partnerships Rosie King said: “Energy Estate is committed to the transformation of the Hunter-Central Coast region into a clean energy powerhouse – from the Upper Hunter to the coast.
“We work closely with local stakeholders and we want the communities’ input into the design of our projects.
“I am personally excited to release the visual simulation for the Hunter Coast Offshore Wind Project.
“Our team carefully chose the points along the coast so that you could view the proposed project from different perspectives.
“Our vision is that by collaborating with local government, industry, communities and other offshore wind proponents we can create a thriving offshore wind manufacturing, construction and service industry in the Hunter-Central Coast region.”