Wind Energy – Floating Wind
There may be up to 50 wind turbines on the horizon off Perth later this decade if Flotation Energy realises its plan for a 500-megawatt wind farm.
For the past 18 months, Edinburgh-based Flotation Energy has studied the feasibility of a wind farm south of Rottnest and about 20 kilometres from the coast.
Flotation Energy operations director Tim Sawyer said the project was at a very early stage, and he did not expect it to be operational for five to 10 years.
“We’re going out to consultation, we’re doing the relevant studies to understand the opportunity and how it might work in Western Australia,” he said.
The 500 megawatt project would require up to 50 wind turbines over an area of about 10 square kilometres. The turbines would be fixed to the seafloor in water depths of between 30 metres and 45 metres. The turbines would be a similar distance from the coast as Rottnest and visible from shore.
“The key is to understand that resource’s variability, and how that impacts the grid and supply and demand,” Sawyer said. “If you look at Perth, we’ve got an oil and gas industry, and decades worth of expertise, that we can draw on.”