The Australian subsidiary of EDF Renewables has acquired the Newcastle Offshore Wind Farm, a floating offshore project under development near the Port of Newcastle, Australia.
The project is planned for the Hunter?Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) as part of the NSW Government Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap.
It will be developed in stages to support the government’s deployment of renewable targets and progressive retirement of coal?fired power stations in the area.
Project developers Newcastle Offshore Wind Energy Pty Ltd (NOWE) have been working with EDF Renewable on the project for the last 12 months and will continue as a partner to meet project milestones.
CEO of EDF Renewables in Australia, Dave Johnson, said in a statement: “NOWE, based in Newcastle, has put in a lot of effort to build up their local development expertise and connect with the community and stakeholders, which puts this project in a great position to succeed in the proposed location and especially within the local community.”
Johnson added, “This landmark project will be developed in collaboration with a strong local team based in Newcastle and will require the establishment of an entirely new industry in Australia. I am very confident that this project will play a crucial role in providing new opportunities for employment, establishing new business and the revitalisation of existing business looking to transition from existing industries”.
EDF Renewables operates seven offshore wind farms globally and a further five are under construction including one with floating technology in France.