Large turbines installed in the ocean are moved by the force of strong winds. The rotation of the turbines turns magnets inside a coil of wire, producing electricity. This electricity travels down through cables in the tower to an offshore substation, where a transformer increases the voltage. High voltage undersea cables then transport the electricity to a land-based substation, where a transformer again adjusts voltage to connect into the existing transmission grid. The electricity is then distributed to homes, businesses and industry.

No, the Project’s identified area is only a part of the declared offshore wind zone.

The Commonwealth Government has identified six priority areas for assessment for suitability of offshore wind. Two areas have been declared as offshore wind zones, this area off the Hunter coast and one off the coast of Gippsland in Victoria. The Pacific Ocean region off the Illawarra, the Bass Strait off Northern Tasmania and the Southern Ocean region off Portland have all been proposed. An area off Bunbury, Western Australia has also been identified as a priority area for assessment.

It’s likely the turbines will be visible from various points along the coast. If we are granted a Feasibility Licence, we will complete an environmental impact assessment. As part of this, we will commission a detailed landscape and seascape visual impact assessment.

Wind passing through the blades of turbines produces a characteristic sound audible to anyone who is located at a relatively short distance from the turbine. However, the Project will be located more than 25km from the coast. At this distance, noise may be undetectable from shore. As part of the environmental and social impact assessment further investigation will take place to determine actual impacts.

If we are granted a Feasibility Licence we will undertake comprehensive environmental research, surveys and rigorous impact assessments to understand and mitigate the effects of construction and operation on marine life habitats and ecosystems, including birds.

These studies will be made available to the community and open for feedback during the assessment phase of the Project. The information will be used to help inform the Project’s development.

It’s important to note that a number of approvals processes and conditions will need to be met at various stages of the Project's development, construction, operation and decommissioning. These will include reporting and continual monitoring of impacts.

The ultimate decision on exclusion zones will be determined by the Commonwealth Government and maritime safety authorities. In countries such as the UK, exclusions are only applied during surveys, construction and maintenance.

We’re protactively engaging with the community by sharing details of our plans and seeking feedback. During the feasibility stage, licence holders must undertake detailed environmental assessments and further stakeholder consultation to advance their specific project proposals. These studies will be made available to the community and open for feedback during the assessment phase of the Project. The results of these studies and community feedback will help inform the design and construction.

The new offshore wind industry will create thousands of jobs and opportunities to develop, construct, operate and maintain offshore wind turbines, substations and other infrastructure. The range of roles will include engineers, marine specialists and trades, including apprentices. Contractors and subcontractors will employ various workers in management roles and specialised engineers in different areas such as mechanical, structural and marine.

A typical offshore installation today utilises 10 megawatt (MW) machines. The next generation of machines will increase to 15 MW for installation in 3 to 5 years and it is expected that even larger turbines will be introduced over time. Higher wind speeds (and over longer durations) at sea mean increased energy production, as energy output is correlated to the wind speed. Each 10 MW turbine would typically generate enough electricity each year to meet the needs of over 5,000 households while displacing approximately 35,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Larger turbines will meet the needs of more homes.

Wind turbines can be sited offshore, where the wind is stronger for longer and larger turbines can be installed. Offshore, wind speeds tend to be higher, and the wind is steadier, thus, capturing more wind energy. Due to the large turbine size and site area, offshore wind projects can deliver significant scale, producing energy output substantially greater than onshore wind and solar farms. It is also worth noting that offshore wind usually complements solar PV production given that wind blows stronger at night (when solar energy is not available). In fact, combining offshore wind with solar PV can help a system closely match energy demand.

Climate change is recognised as the biggest threat to marine ecosystems globally. Renewable technologies are playing an important role in reducing climate change. However, any activity in the marine environment has the potential to impact on seabirds and other marine life. There are years of global experience for us to draw on and we will take steps to minimise the impact on wildlife and habitats at every stage of the project to include comprehensive research, environmental surveys, rigorous assessments, monitoring and modelling. Most of the cables will be buried which reduces the long-term impact on marine life. [In the case of floating offshore turbines themselves, the impact to the seabed is limited to tether cables]

In some countries (such as the UK) the offshore wind capacity will surpass the onshore wind capacity soon. Given Australia’s world class wind speeds off many of its coasts, it is anticipated that offshore wind will complement the onshore resources and allow the development of wind projects much closer to large coastal loads- especially as the existing transmission networks and coal-fired power plants start to reach the end of their life.

Australia is in a strong position to create a new offshore industry close to areas of high electricity demand and that means job creation. There is an opportunity to utilise the existing highly skilled offshore workforce from the oil and gas industry. Conventional energy generation companies are already diversifying their operations into renewable energy sectors and the offshore oil and gas industry is in a unique position to pivot its highly skilled offshore workforce to complimentary jobs in offshore wind.

Wind speeds tend to increase as you move offshore, and it follows that turbines built further offshore should capture more wind energy. Unfortunately, however, as the distance to land increases, the cost of building and maintaining the turbines and transmitting the power back to shore also increase sharply, thus limiting the distance out to sea at which offshore wind projects will be built.

The metal parts of the turbine structures will be specially coated and maintained to protect them from corrosion. The design life of an offshore wind today is 30-40 years.

At this stage it is anticipated that the offshore structures (such as the turbines, associated foundations and electric cables) will be removed as part of the decommissioning process at the end of the wind farm’s life. Onshore infrastructure would be expected to remain in the ground and the above ground infrastructure (such as substations) removed. Requirements for decommissioning will be conditions of the planning approvals for the project.

Currently, about 90% of the wind turbine can be recycled. The platform is usually made of conventional materials, such as concrete or steel, the tower of the wind turbine is made of steel, while the blades are currently made of glass or carbon fibre reinforced polymer composites, the same material that many boats are made from. The global wind sector is constantly developing new solutions to improve the recyclability of the blades and other components as this is an important issue.

No.

An application is currently being prepared for a Feasibility Licence. Granting of these licences will allow proponents to have exclusive rights to investigate the feasibility of a project in a defined area within the declared Hunter zone. These applications close on 14 November 2023 and we anticipate 2 - 3 licences being issued in the 2nd quarter of 2024.

Each project will undergo a comprehensive environmental and planning assessment in consultation with the State and Commonwealth regulatory departments. This will occur prior to applying for a Commercial Licence and commencement of any construction. We will complete detailed environmental investigations to gather information about the local area to meet legal and regulatory requirements. An impact assessment will also be undertaken.

We understand the Car Park is about 20 nautical miles (approximately 37 km) from Tomaree Heads to the north of our proposed site, and that it moves around a bit with the currents.

We understand that the Car Park is located adjacent to a canyon that provides an upwelling of nutrients that attracts fish.

We will investigate this as part of the geotechnical and environmental impact assessments and seek to avoid sitting our wind turbines near this.

Further assessment about potential impacts on the commercial fishing will take place as part of the environmental impact assessments. It is critical that offshore wind projects co-exist with other users of the marine environment.

The assessment will help us to identify any potential impacts that can displace current fishing activities as well as any management and mitigation measures in the area before the project becomes operational.

Overseas the attitude of tourists towards offshore wind farms has been seen as a positive. Reasons for this include the projects' positive contribution to the climate, education about the renewables industry, and generating additional economic benefit. If we are granted a Feasibility Licence, we will undertake comprehensive environmental surveys and impact assessments, including a social impact assessment which will analyse the positive and negative impacts on the tourism industry.

The proposed project area would take up less than 25% of the declared offshore wind zone. The Feasibility Licence will allow proponents to have exclusive rights to investigate the feasibility of a project in a defined area within the declared Hunter zone. It will determine the size of the project area we are allowed to investigate.

It's likely the turbines will be visible from various points along the coast.

If we are granted the Feasibility Licence, we will prepare an environmental impact assessment. As part of this we will commission a detailed land and seascape visual impact assessment.

Understanding if the Project is commercially viable is part of the Feasibility Licence process. Once our Project lodges the Feasibility Licence application, the Offshore Infrastructure Registrar will review the Project's technical and financial capability and its viability.

To determine the Project's viability, the review also includes the following considerations: complexity of the project (risks and uncertainties), route-to-market for the project (options for energy supply and transmission) and the estimated commercial return on the project (i.e., financing methods, cost and price estimates).

In some countries (such as the UK), the offshore wind capacity will surpass the onshore wind capacity soon.

Australia has world class wind speeds off many of its coasts and it is anticipated that offshore wind will complement the onshore resources - especially as the existing transmission networks and coal-fired power plants start to reach the end of their life.

The Project consists of approx. 115 turbines which will be mounted on floating foundations. These turbines will be interconnected and then connect into 3 substations located within the wind farm. These substations will then connect into an export cable which will be located on the seabed. It is expected that this cable will pass between the shore, connecting into an onshore substation and the existing electricity grid.

Currently about 90% of each wind turbine can be recycled. The floating platform is usually made of conventional materials, such as concrete or steel, the tower of the wind turbine is made of steel, while the blades are currently made of glass or carbon fibre reinforced polymer composites, the same material that many boats are made from.

The global wind sector is constantly developing new solutions to improve the recyclability of the blades and other components as this is an important issue.

If we are granted a Feasibility Licence we will use seismic testing to help us to evaluate the impact of seafloor and sub-seafloor geologic conditions on the Project's installation, operation, and structural integrity. These geophysical studies are very important to reduce uncertainty and avoid delays in the construction phase.

Note that the sound released from this testing is significantly less than the one released in the testing for oil and gas projects. Offshore wind focuses on the top 100m or so of the subsea geology, whereas oil and gas projects look to map the seabed layers to a much deeper level.

The risk of a catastrophic incident is very low.

The foundations and mooring systems will be designed to be able to sustain certain prescribed failure modes and accidental loads cases in accordance with the applicable offshore standards. We will be required to develop a detailed and robust emergency response plan considering all relevant scenarios that will need to be approved by the regulators.

The subsea inter array cables will connect each wind turbine to the export cables, which then carry that electricity to onshore distribution networks, which will generate some electromagnetic fields (EMFs).

As part of the environmental impact assessment, we will investigate Electromagnetic Interference to understand the specific effects on this environment and if required, adopt management and mitigation measures.