Offshore

Sea Fern Floating Offshore Wind project excited to be part of the newly declared Hunter wind zone

18 July 2023

A consortium consisting of global wind and offshore specialists Simply Blue Group and Subsea7, and local renewable energy developer Spark Renewables will be spearheading the development of the Sea Fern Floating Offshore Wind project in the Commonwealth’s newly declared Pacific Ocean off the Hunter wind zone, in New South Wales. The project will have a generation capacity of up to 2 gigawatts (GW).

The name ‘Sea Fern’ was selected for its strong connection to the native flora of the Hunter coast, symbolising values of sustainability, innovation and environmental consciousness, aligning with the consortium’s core principals.

Sea Fern Floating Offshore Wind unites local and global industry leaders, each bringing critical components and renowned expertise to this alliance. This powerful consortium is well-positioned to manage the challenges of developing floating wind technology and realise the ambitious vision of offshore wind power, new economic opportunities for coastal communities, and ‘Just Transition’ from traditional energy sources to a sustainable and low-carbon future.

Simply Blue Group is at the forefront in advancing floating offshore wind projects, which will be vital in unlocking Australia’s deep-water wind resource. With an impressive portfolio of over 10 GW of floating wind under development and successful projects globally they have established themselves as pioneers in the field. Simply Blue Group also develops other blue economy projects, that might be co-located with offshore wind farms to maximise the utilisation of project sites.

Subsea7 is a trusted leader in delivering offshore projects and services for the energy industry backed by more than a decade of proven offshore wind installations and over 40 years of Australian project experience. With extensive front-end capabilities, project delivery expertise and ownership of a global, highly versatile and capable fleet of installation vessels, they provide a vital piece of the supply chain puzzle. Subsea7 has a strong track record of over 1,000 projects successfully completed and safely delivered worldwide. As a key partner in the project, Subsea7 will be integral to the delivery of Sea Fern Floating Offshore Wind.

Spark Renewables is one of Australia’s premier developers and owners of renewable energy assets, with a proven track record of delivering electricity to the grid. Spark Renewables has a substantial development portfolio spanning solar, wind and battery storage projects. With deep experience in developing onshore renewable projects, they have successfully cultivated robust partnerships with local communities in NSW. Spark Renewables brings invaluable experience to the project for navigating onshore planning requirements and delivering the power to the grid.

Each member of this alliance brings extensive knowledge and achievements, united by a shared vision: to deliver an offshore floating wind project in the Hunter region, which, at its core, maximises long-term opportunities for Australia.

Simply Blue Group and Subsea7 have worked together since 2019 to successfully develop one of Scotland’s most advanced floating offshore wind projects (the Salamander Offshore Wind Farm) and will use this experience to successfully deliver the Sea Fern project in Australia.

Sea Fern Floating Offshore Wind is currently at the inception phase of applying for a Feasibility Licence under the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Act 2021. A Feasibility Licence, if granted, will enable the project team to consult and work collaboratively with the community, businesses, and industry.

Simply Blue Group, Subsea7 and Spark Renewables will be working with local specialist contractors to design a stakeholder engagement framework. The Sea Fern Floating Offshore Wind team will seek to listen to and engage with communities to build and maintain a long-term relationship with Newcastle and broader New South Wales.

Within the 7-year Feasibility Licence period the project team would undertake the necessary technical, environmental and social impact studies, approvals and consultation, to ensure the project will be safe and viable.

Success through this process would provide certainty of licencing required for accessing the seabed and represent the start of a long-term project. The development approval would be required by 2030 to start construction, with expected operations running through to the 2060s and beyond.

More information about the project can be found on the website: seafernwind.au.

ENDS

Contact: media@seafernwind.au

Download media release: Sea Fern Floating Offshore Wind project excited to be part of newly declared Hunter wind zone

Spark Renewables, Simply Blue Group and Subsea7 partner to pursue floating offshore wind development in New South Wales, Australia

22 March 2023

A leading local developer in Australia, Spark Renewables, together with international floating offshore wind developer Simply Blue Group and global leader in the delivery of offshore projects and services, Subsea7, have formed a consortium to pursue floating offshore wind development off the coast of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, in the Hunter and Illawarra regions.

The recently proposed Hunter-Central Coast and Illawarra Renewable Energy Zones offer good opportunities to support the development of floating wind alongside the potential future Commonwealth offshore wind zones, including the declared Hunter offshore wind area. The consortium has come together because it brings complementary expertise from world-leading companies, ensuring the deliverability of the projects proposed.

Australia’s emerging offshore wind industry provides a potential pathway for the thousands of jobs expected to transition from existing industries into renewable energy. This is a critical opportunity for workers in New South Wales, as the state seeks to decarbonise its energy supply.

Spark Renewables is one of Australia’s leading developers and long-term owners of renewable energy generation assets. It has a large and diversified portfolio of operational and development stage wind, solar and storage assets across Australia, with announced projects in New South Wales and South Australia. Spark Renewables is owned by Spark Infrastructure, which also owns interests in the NSW transmission network operator Transgrid.

Simply Blue Group is a leading early stage developer of floating offshore wind. The company currently has a pipeline of 10 GW of projects in Ireland, UK, Europe and America and is committed to creating new economic opportunities for coastal communities, and developing projects that co-exist with sustainable fisheries and marine conservation.

With a local presence in Perth Australia, Subsea7 is a global leader in the delivery of offshore projects and services for the energy industry. It has a strong track record, having successfully completed over a 1,000 projects, including some of the largest offshore wind projects worldwide.

Subsea7 has already partnered with Simply Blue Group on the Salamander floating offshore wind project in Scotland.

Sam Roch-Perks, Group CEO, Simply Blue Group, said: “With a long coastline and stable continental shelf, we see huge potential for offshore floating wind projects off New South Wales. The State Government of New South Wales has announced key Renewable Energy Zones making it clear that it’s committed to a diverse, affordable, modern energy system, with wind energy firmly in the mix. I’m looking forward to meeting again personally with local stakeholders over the coming weeks to further progress our plans. We hope to bring the valuable lessons learnt from our existing global portfolio of over 10 GW of floating wind projects to Australia.”

Head of Spark Renewables, Anthony Marriner, said: “The consortium will investigate the suitability of areas for developing an offshore wind farm within the proposed Hunter offshore area and the foreshadowed Illawarra offshore area. Community-wide and stakeholder-specific consultation with ecological agencies, Traditional Owners, Australian maritime, aviation and defence must inform any site identification process before we proceed to determining specific projects. As a NSW-based company, we understand the community issues, and this is a key focus for us on all our projects. We are excited by the opportunities that offshore wind projects can bring to NSW, including an increase in local manufacturing and therefore more jobs to support the local economy.”

Darren Cormell, Subsea7, VP Floating Wind, said: “There is a great potential to enable an offshore wind energy solution for the New South Wales population, and achieving a cleaner energy mix for the future. With more than a decade of successful delivery of large-scale offshore wind developments, group capabilities that span early development phases through to delivery, and a successful track record of more than 40 years in offshore projects in Australia, we are excited to bring our capabilities and experience to making floating wind in New South Wales possible.”

ENDS

For more information please contact:

Spark Renewables, Marju Tonisson, Communications, +61 435 570 690
Simply Blue Group, Sara Mackeown, Group Communications Director +353 86 104 4011
Subsea7, Tracey Miller, Group Communications Manager +44 1224 265 733

About Spark Renewables

Spark Renewables is one of Australia’s leading developers and long-term owners of renewable energy generation assets.

Starting in 2018 with a 120 MW_dc Bomen Solar Farm in Wagga Wagga, NSW, the potential generation capacity of our development portfolio has grown rapidly to approximately 7 GW and  spans solar, wind and battery storage projects.

Our goal is to develop and build projects leading the renewable energy transition in Australia.  We work with industry innovators and tertiary institutions to provide sustainable, socially acceptable solutions for generation of electricity.

Spark Renewables is based in Manly, NSW, and is part of the Spark Infrastructure Group. Find out more at www.sparkrenewables.com.

About Simply Blue Group

Simply Blue Group, headquartered in Cork, Ireland, is a leading blue economy developer focused on replacing fossil fuels with clean ocean energy. It develops pioneering blue economy projects – floating offshore wind, e-Fuels, wave energy and low-impact aquaculture – all in harmony with the oceans. The company has a pipeline of over 10 GW of floating offshore wind projects across the globe.

Simply Blue Group is committed to creating new economic opportunities for coastal communities, and developing projects that co-exist with sustainable fisheries and marine conservation.

With a passionate team of over 100 people, Simply Blue Group has offices in Cork, Dublin, Newquay, Pembrokeshire, Edinburgh, Hamburg, Bilbao, Oregon and Nova Scotia.

To find out more about our blue economy projects, please visit www.simplybluegroup.com.

About Subsea7

Subsea7 is a global leader in the delivery of offshore projects and services for the energy industry. Subsea7 makes offshore energy transition possible through the continuous evolution of lower-carbon oil and gas and by enabling the growth of renewables and emerging energy. Find out more at www.subsea7.com.

Download the media release here: Spark Renewables, Simply Blue Group and Subsea7 partner to pursue floating offshore wind development in New South Wales, Australia