Wind Energy – South Taranaki
The consortium formed by BlueFloat Energy, Energy Estate and Elemental Group in 2021 announced plans to build an offshore wind farm 22 kilometres off the coast of South Taranaki.
The proposed project is the first of four offshore wind projects planned by the consortium in Aotearoa with the potential to add up to 5GW of new clean energy generation.
The South Taranaki project is designed to be a 900 MW offshore wind development using fixed bottom technology located to the west of Beach Energy’s Kupe platform in the South Taranaki Bight.
The proposed site was identified as offering huge potential in the Offshore Wind Discussion Paper published by Venture Taranaki in April 2020, due to the site’s unique characteristics and favourable environmental conditions. That study identified an area large enough for several offshore wind farms to be built by different developers that would be compatible with each other and help accelerate the transition to clean energy.
The proposed site covers approximately 230 square kilometres and sits beyond the 12-mile nautical zone and outside the boundaries of the West Coast North Island Marine Mammal Sanctuary and the sensitive eco-system of the Patea Reef.
