UK Expertise Can Help Boost New Zealand’s Offshore Wind Industry, Report Says

August 15, 2024, by Adrijana Buljan

A new report, prepared by global energy consultancy Xodus and published on 14 August, says that the UK, as the world’s second-largest offshore wind market, can help unlock the full potential of New Zealand’s offshore wind industry.

With 15,000 kilometres of coastline, New Zealand holds vast offshore wind potential and, on top of that, has other “essential ingredients” to accelerate its offshore wind industry: demand, regulatory framework and social need, according to the report, commissioned by the British High Council in Wellington.

The UK can provide expertise in financing methods, price stability mechanisms, local and international supply chain development and regulatory alignment, the report says.

Having a well-developed supply chain that has brought 13.9 GW of offshore wind in the UK online as of 2023, the UK government is committed to not only developing to meet its growing domestic needs, which are expected to more than triple by 2030, but also to exporting its expertise and capabilities to global markets like New Zealand, a press release issued after the report launch states.

“Tackling climate change is an urgent need. And it does not need to result in an economic cost. Recently the UK has shown that we can grow the economy while also halving emissions since 1990”, British High Commissioner to New Zealand, HE Iona Thomas OBE, said at the launch of the report in New Plymouth.

“As the global shift towards sustainable energy accelerates, the offshore wind sector in New Zealand is ready to respond. The UK stands ready to use our experience to tackle the challenges and take a strategic approach needed to unlock the potential that New Zealand has”.

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Several projects are being developed in New Zealand currently, including the 1 GW South Taranaki offshore wind farm, planned to be built by a joint venture between Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and NZ Super Fund some 37 kilometres off the coast of Patea in the South Taranaki Bight.

In October last year, the joint venture, in cooperation with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) and Ara Ake released findings of an Industry Capability Mapping Study, focused on offshore wind in the Taranaki region.

Also in 2023, CIP and NZ Super Fund signed an agreement with Port Taranaki and BlueFloat Energy, which also has offshore wind projects planned in New Zealand, for a joint study into how Port Taranaki’s assets, infrastructure and land can support the growth of the offshore wind industry in Aotearoa.

According to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), New Zealand has a technical offshore wind potential of 2,252 GW. Of this, 148 GW has been marked suitable for fixed-bottom wind turbines and 2,104 GW for floating wind.