EDF Renewables has acquired the floating Newcastle Offshore Wind (NOW) Farm, which is being developed in the Hunter-Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) in New South Wales.
The project will be developed in stages to support the Australian Government’s renewable targets, and align with the progressive retirement of ageing coal-fired power stations in the region.
The initial project developers, Newcastle Offshore Wind Energy (NOWE), have almost ten years of experience on the project and will continue to work on the project with EDF Renewables as a collaborative partnership that will be scaled up to meet the project needs.
CEO of EDF Renewables in Australia, Dave Johnson, said “NOWE 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.
“It’s always top priority for us to make sure the community and region benefit from our work and those benefits are clear, far-reaching, and impactful for the entire community.”
Mr Johnson said both EDF Renewables in Australia and NOWE’s teams have previously worked extensively in the Hunter Region.
“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 under construction including one with floating technology in France.
Mr Johnson said EDF Renewables and its partners are developing many offshore wind projects across North and Latin America, Europe, Asia and now Australia.
“We are a significant player in developing large, complex projects like the proposed Newcastle Offshore Wind Farm,” Mr Johnston said.
