BlueFloat, Origin Submit Joint Bid for 1.7 GW Offshore Wind Project in Australia

Spain-based BlueFloat Energy and Sydney-headquartered Origin Energy have joined forces and applied for a Feasibility Licence to develop the Eastern Rise Offshore Wind Project in the declared Hunter offshore wind zone.

The partnership submitted a Feasibility Licence application in November and the Federal Government is expected to announce successful applicants next year.

Unveiled in February, the Eastern Rise Offshore Wind Project is set to be delivered over a development and construction period of seven years and will have an installed capacity of 1,725 MW.

The project is proposed to be built off the coast of the Hunter-Port Stephens region of New South Wales.

Australia’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) opened the application period for feasibility licences in August.

Developers had until 14 November to submit applications for the permits that will require them to hold further consultation on individual proposals, including detailed environmental assessments and impacts on other marine users, before any environmental and management plan approvals are obtained.

The offshore wind zone is the second to be declared for offshore wind development, with the zone off Victoria’s Gippsland region being the first to reach this status.

Stretching over 1,800 square kilometres between Swansea and Port Stephens, the Hunter zone is said to have the potential to accommodate up to 5 GW of offshore wind capacity.

The area already attracted interest from developers before the offshore wind zone was identified and officially declared.

Energy Estate proposed a floating offshore wind farm of up to 1.65 GW while Equinor and OceanEX announced last year that they intended to jointly submit feasibility licence applications for offshore wind acreage for three of these projects in Australia, including for a 2 GW wind farm offshore Hunter Valley.

At the beginning of 2023, EDF Renewables said that it had acquired the Newcastle Offshore Wind (NOW) floating wind project that was under development by Newcastle Offshore Wind Energy Pty Ltd (NOWE) and was planned to be developed in stages to ultimately reach 10 GW in generation capacity.

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