A consortium consisting of global wind and offshore specialists Simply Blue Group and Subsea 7, plus Spark Renewables, an Australia-based renewable energy developer, are spearheading the creation of the Sea Fern Floating Offshore Wind project. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the Hunter region in in New South Wales, Australia, the venture will have a generation capacity of up to 2 GW.
The newly declared Hunter Wind Zone is the country’s second official offshore wind area. The name Sea Fern was selected for its strong connection to the native flora of the Hunter coast, symbolizing values of sustainability, innovation and environmental consciousness.
Headquartered in Ireland, Simply Blue Group has a portfolio of over 10 GW of floating offshore wind projects under development. In 2019, the company began collaborating with Orsted and Subsea 7 on the 100 MW Salamander Offshore Wind Farm, a floating venture off the northeast coast of Scotland.
Luxembourg’s Subsea 7 is an engineering, construction and services company working in the offshore energy industry. A successful installer of offshore wind projects for more than a decade, the company also has more than 40 years of experience with Australian endeavors.
A developer and owner of renewable energy assets, Spark Renewables has a substantial portfolio spanning solar, wind and battery storage. A veteran developer of onshore renewable projects, the company brings substantial experience to this initiative for navigating onshore planning requirements and delivering the power to the grid.
Sea Fern Floating Offshore Wind is currently at the inception phase of applying for feasibility licensing under the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Act 2021. If granted, it will give the team a seven-year period to complete necessary technical, environmental and social impact studies and gain approval to ensure the project will be safe and viable.
The development approval would be required by 2030 to start construction, with expected operations running through to the 2060s and beyond.
