A SERIES of information sessions were held last week in Port Stephens and Newcastle for interested parties to learn more about plans for an offshore wind project off the Hunter coast.

BlueFloat Energy, a Spanish offshore wind developer, has announced plans for a renewable energy project to be located off the coast between Newcastle and Nelson Bay.

With 115 floating wind turbines and three offshore substations, if approved, the Eastern Rise Offshore Wind Project will sit approximately 25-45 kilometres off the coast.

Each turbine would be spaced around 1.5 kilometers from each other, covering an estimated total area of 500 square kilometres.

Floating turbines will be tethered to the seabed via a system of mooring lines and anchors at depths of between 130-150 metres.

The project team anticipate each turbine will have a capacity of 15-20 megawatts, with a hub height of 165-195 metres and a rotor diameter of 250-275 metres.

BlueFloat believes the project can generate enough electricity to power 825,000 homes, create hundreds of jobs and attract significant investment and growth in the region.

In February, the Federal Government proposed an area in waters off the Hunter region, from Norah Head to past Hawks Nest, for offshore renewable energy projects.

The consultation period for this proposal ended on April 28, with the zone yet to be officially declared by the Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen.

This decision is expected in mid-2023.

BlueFloat, who are developing four projects in NSW and Victoria, will apply to develop their Eastern Rise project within the zone if it is declared.

BlueFloat Energy’s Australian Country Manager Nick Sankey said the consultation sessions were designed to give the community an early insight into the project plans.

“These are very early stage consultations,” Mr Sankey said.

“It is an opportunity for the community to meet the team and to learn more about the project.

“We aim to give as much information as we can regarding what the project may entail.”

If the zone is declared, the first step for BlueFloat is to apply for a Feasibility License.

“A Feasibility License is typically designed in order for us to have the time to undertake the studies, to do the analysis and to firm up the financial viability of the project, and also for us to obtain all of our environmental approvals.

“A lot of those environmental approvals will entail doing a study that may take two years of monitoring bird life, monitoring mammals etc.

“Until we undertake those studies, we won’t have all the answers.”

Many of the community members who attended the information sessions had questions regarding the impacts on visual amenity from the coast line.

“I think it’s hard for people to get an understanding of what the visual amenity may be,” Mr Sankey said.

“They will be visible on the horizon, but they are distant, we are 25 kilometres from the coast and extending out to 45 kilometres.

“We want to be away from the coast to limit the visual amenity, but need to be in waters that are the right depth to construct the project.

“As you step off the continental shelf you get into very deep waters which makes construction very difficult and very expensive.

“We want to deliver a cost effective project that delivers an end user price of electricity that is good for the community as well, so it is a trade off on how far you go to alleviate some of those visual concerns.”

Questions have also been raised around the impacts on the marine environment and animal life.

“People want to understand more about the effects it may have on marine and bird life,” Mr Sankey said.

“That is going to be part of our environmental impact assessment in terms of monitoring the whale movements, bird migration etc, and ensuring we are developing in a sustainable way.”

Mr Sankey told News Of The Area that BlueFloat plans to coexist with existing marine users.

“Fisher groups tend to be quite vocal, they are used to being on the waters in those areas, so they want to understand more about their ability to continue fishing in those areas, both recreational and commercial,” he said.

“We are not operating on an exclusive basis.

“We are developing a project that will allow fishing to continue in those areas.”

In terms of the positives of the project, Mr Sankey said many of those attending the consultation were enthusiastic about the project’s potential to support Australia’s transition to renewable energy.

“On the positive side we are seeing that a lot of people are very pro-renewable energy.

“People want to see a large-scale build out of renewable energy projects and are concerned about Australia’s dependency on fossil fuels.

“So to have a 1.7 gigawatt project is really large scale compared to solar and onshore wind projects.

“We are also seeing a lot of excitement about the economic benefits of it and the job opportunities in the Hunter region where you have existing fossil fuel industries.

“There are concerns about the retirement of plants and the loss of jobs there, so what is going to be the industry to replace the lost jobs?” Mr Sankey said.

BlueFloat now awaits the Federal Government’s decision on the declaration of the offshore wind zone.

“The government conducted their own consultation process about the zone.

“People were given the opportunity to give their view on whether that area was appropriate for offshore wind projects.

“When the zone is declared, we will be able to apply for a Feasibility Licence, which allows us to complete the studies and do the analysis.

“After that the public will have a chance to review the work we have done.

“Only after that will we be able to get our environmental approvals.

“We need the environmental approvals to apply for a commercial licence.

“A Commercial Licence is required before commencing any construction activities.

“A Feasibility Licence does not give us the right to construct anything, only to conduct the analysis.”

Once all the Feasibility Licence studies are completed, BlueFloat would then be eligible to apply for a Commercial Licence, which lasts for 40 years and includes the construction, operation and decommissioning of the project.

Mr Sankey said BlueFloat envisages a “five year period of doing analysis, getting approvals and getting contracts in place”, with a further two or three years required to construct the project.

By Doug CONNOR