Hunter offshore wind zone opens to bids amid disinformation
Australia’s second offshore wind development zone, off the coast of the NSW Hunter region, has opened to expressions of interest.
The 2,000 sq km zone will be the first in Australia to host floating turbines.Competition is expected to be robust for a spot in the Pacific Ocean, which stretches between Swansea and Port Stephens.
Among the developers expected to bid are Australia-based Energy Estate, for a 1.65GW project.
Another 2GW project is being proposed for the Hunter zone by OceanEx and Equinor, as well as an up to 10GW floating wind project.
This latest step forward comes at a difficult time for developers struggling against soaring costs thanks to supply chain pressures and the difficulties of setting up shop in a brand new market.
Developers are also grappling with a burgeoning online misinformation campaign, including a petition on change.org that falsely claims the turbines will be just 10km offshore.
Public consultation on the first NSW offshore wind zone attracted just shy of 2,000 submissions after it was opened in February.
The zone is much smaller than its Victorian counterpart – 1,800 km sq vs roughly 15,000 km sq, respectively.
The revised zone places it 20km from the coast in the north and over 35km from the coast in the south.The government says this change will enable continued safe management of shipping and other sea industries.
The height of the turbines was also limited to 260m – a concession to the Department of Defence.