Hunter offshore wind project gets cracking on environmental approvals

Developers behind an offshore wind farm proposed for waters off the New South Wales central coast have embarked on the process of seeking environmental approvals for the massive project, despite still awaiting formal declaration of that region as Australia’s second official development zone.

Australian renewables developer Energy Estate says a referral under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC) for the up to 1.65GW Hunter Central-Coast Offshore Energy project has been
published for public consultation.

The company says the move puts it among the first in the pipeline of proposed NSW offshore wind projects to have achieved this step in planning process.

The up to 100 floating turbine project, is proposed for development between 25-55km off the coastline between Newcastle and Gosford, the public documents confirm, covering an area of around 700km2.

This puts it in the zone the federal government has slated as next to be formally opened to projects, following last year’s formal declaration of the nation’s first official offshore wind development zone in Victoria, off the coast of Gippsland.

In February, the Albanese government opened consultation on establishing a second development zone, seeking feedback from industry and community on how best to harness the offshore wind resource in the Pacific Ocean alongside the NSW Hunter region – a manufacturing powerhouse traditionally powered by coal.

That region is also part of the NSW government’s recently declared Hunter-Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), named as the state’s fourth REZ – the first to include access to offshore wind, although these projects will be developed in Commonwealth waters.

Energy Estate says that while consultation is still underway on the exact parameters of the federal offshore wind zone, the EPBC referral for the Hunter Central-Coast Offshore Energy project is a “first formal step” in the approval process, and a bid to put this particular project ahead of the crowd.

So far, there is a handful of projects proposed for this particular zone, including a 2GW project being developed by OceanEx and Equinor, and the biggest floating wind project proposed for Australian waters yet, now owned by French nuclear giant EDF.

Andy Evans, the CEO of Oceanex which has spent three years working up its Novocastrian Offshore Wind project has said NSW has “no time to lose” in developing a viable offshore wind energy to meet growing energy requirements later this decade, as coal power generation capacity exits the system.

That said, navigating the planning and approvals process is a notoriously laborious and time consuming process for renewable energy projects, and for projects in a brand new sector the process is likely to take even longer.

Energy Estate says it has also sought to kick of the EPBC process early to ensure ample opportunity for the affected communities and other stakeholders to participate in the public consultation process.

The company says an initial public consultation period of 10 business days from the date of the referral being published is only the start of a much longer public consultation process.

“We are passionate about working closely with local stakeholders during the development process and we want the communities’ input into the design of our projects,” says Energy Estate director of partnerships, Rosie King.

“There will be many opportunities for the affected communities and stakeholders to actively participate in the approval process over the coming years.”

Energy Estate was supported in the EPBC referral by leading environmental consultants Umwelt and
marine specialists BMT. You can see the referral documents here.

CORRECTION: Energy Estate is not co-developing the Hunter Central-Coast Offshore Energy project with BlueFloat Energy, as the article previously stated.