BlueFloat Energy plans new gigawatt-scale floating offshore wind off Australia

It expects to take even years developing and building the 1700MW Eastern Rise Eastern Rise (1700MW) OffshoreNew South Wales, Australia, Asia-Pacific Click to see full details offshore wind farm off the coast of south-east Australia, BlueFloat stated. 

Australia is currently consulting on whether to designate the zone off Newcastle – the world’s largest coal export port – for offshore wind development.

Such a move would enable BlueFloat to apply for feasibility licences to investigate the area and draw up a final plan for the Eastern Rise project. It would still need to secure a commercial licence before proceeding to construction.

Nick Sankey, BlueFloat Energy’s country manager, said the decision to develop a new offshore wind farm in the region was based on a combination of Hunter’s history of industrial development and power generation, the quality of the wind resource, the advantageous positioning near emerging energy infrastructure and BlueFloat Energy’s positive stakeholder and community engagement to date. 

The company had been in the “very early stages” of developing a separate project in the region – the Hunter Coast offshore wind farm. That will now be taken forward independently by Australian developer Energy Estate, which had been working with BlueFloat on that project as well as other offshore wind farms in Australia.