A consortium composed of Spanish wind power developer BlueFloat Energy will invest billions of dollars in offshore wind power projects in South Auckland and West Waikato, New Zealand. The alliance also includes Energy Estate and New Zealand energy developer Elemental as members.

This is the second investment announced by the consortium in New Zealand. Previously, the consortium planned to build an offshore wind farm project 22 kilometers off the coast of South Taranaki. The project is currently called Waikato Offshore Wind Power Project and is part of a national plan to develop up to 5GW of offshore wind power. The consortium has completed the preliminary site selection. The project is currently in the feasibility stage and is expected to start construction before 2030. Carlos Martin, CEO of BlueFloat Energy, said that we believe that offshore wind energy can help achieve 60% renewable energy in Aotearoa.

Energy Secretary Megan Woods recently described the excessive construction of renewable energy capacity and increased energy storage as key tasks. We are keen to support the government to achieve its energy ambitions. We welcome the announcement of the regulatory framework for offshore wind power in mid-2024 and are pleased that this is the focus of the government. The Waikato offshore wind power project will be developed in two phases, generating up to 1.4GW of electricity, enough to power about 700000 households.

The first phase of the project is expected to develop a capacity of about 250 MW, using fixed bottom technology 22 km from the West Waikato coast. It is estimated that about 300 jobs will be created during the construction, operation and maintenance of offshore wind power projects. The second phase of the project will utilize floating foundations and include 800-1150MW development potential located in the west or north of the first phase. It is estimated that another 800 jobs will be created in this stage, which may increase employment opportunities according to the scale of the project. It is said that the Waikato offshore wind power project has provided decades of stable employment opportunities and safe renewable energy supply for Waikato and Auckland.

In addition, the consortium said that it was committed to paying tribute to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and was working with iwi and hap in South Auckland and Waikato ū Negotiate on potential cooperation models. Simon Currie, co-founder of Energy Estate, said that we are committed to developing the offshore wind energy industry in Otyarova in an inclusive and future oriented manner, and bring lasting benefits to the community, the region and the entire Otyarova.Editor/Xing Wentao