Wind

Equinor-Oceanex giant floating plan boost as Australia names new offshore wind zone

Government declares Hunter zone close to Sidney as second federal offshore wind development area and asks for feasibility licence applications

Oceanex CEO Andy Evans.
Oceanex CEO Andy Evans.Foto: Offshore Wind Australia

The gigascale Novocastrian floating wind project by Norwegian oil giant Equinor and its local partner Oceanex is proceeding to the “next stage” after Australia’s federal government announced that the Hunter Region in New South Wales will host the country’s newest offshore wind zone and asked for feasibility license applications.

Climate and energy minister Chris Bowen has officially declared a zone in the South Pacific northeast of Sidney as Australia’s second offshore wind zone, joining Gippsland in the southern state of Victoria as designated federal area for wind at sea development.
The declared area covers 1,800 km2 off the towns of Swansea and Port Stephens and could generate up to 5GW of wind energy, enough to power an estimated 4.2 million homes and power local industries into the future, the ministry said.

“The Hunter is undergoing significant economic change, and the prospect of creating new job opportunities for decades to come through a new offshore wind industry is a game changer,” Bowen said.

Developing a multi-billion-dollar clean energy industry there will spearhead Hunter’s economic transformation, Oceanex CEO Andy Evans said.

Thomas Hansen, senior director for Offshore Wind in Australia at Equinor, added: "This is an exciting next stage of the process and our project proposal.

“We are ready to progress the Novocastrian Offshore Wind Farm with Oceanex and welcome an imminent call for feasibility licence applications."

The two companies earlier had made public plans for the 2GW project in deep waters at about 20km from the city of Newcastle, which they are planning to build for about A$10bn ($6.7bn).

Equinor is a pacesetter for floating wind globally, and is currently completing the 88MW Hywind Tampen floating array off Norway, which once commissioned will be the world’s first-ever offshore oil & gas decarbonisation project.

But the company shocked the sector earlier this year when it halted its 1GW subsidy-free Trollvind project, also off Norway.
Trollvind was a special case due to turbine availability issues within a very ambitious timeline, Trine Borum Bojsen, senior vice president for renewables in Europe, said at a recent webinar. The company, however, remained firm in its commitment to floating wind, she stressed, pointing to projects elsewhere around the globe.

Feasibility licence applications for offshore wind projects in the Hunter area will open from 8 August until 14 November 2023, the energy ministry said.

During the feasibility licence stage, developers will be required to undertake further consultation on individual proposals, including detailed environmental assessments and impacts on other marine users. Construction can only begin after the feasibility stage is completed, and environmental and management plan approvals are gained.

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Published 12 July 2023, 07:50Updated 12 July 2023, 07:50
Asia-PacificAustraliaEquinorOceanex EnergyPolicy