Taranaki Offshore Partnership reaches major milestone for offshore wind in New Zealand

Until now, offshore wind industry in New Zealand was limited to computer calculations. Now, for the first time, a physical device will be used in the field to investigate the possibilities for offshore wind projects on the ground. The FLiDAR will be stationed 37 km off the coast of Patea in the South Taranaki Bight for a year, measuring wind speeds up to 300 m high, as well as waves and currents, to provide data critical to assessing the feasibility of a proposed offshore wind farm.

According to Giacomo Caleffi of Taranaki Offshore Partnership, this is an important part of the feasibility studies that brings the potential development of offshore wind and its benefits to New Zealand another step closer: “Offshore wind is one of the fastest-growing renewable energy technologies globally, as it enables renewable energy generation at scale and complements other forms of renewable energy, for example generating electricity when other technologies might not."

The floating lidar system sits onshore off Mount Taranaki. “As well as delivering renewable energy at scale, the development of an offshore wind industry in Taranaki will also create new opportunities for skilled workers smoothing the region’s transition away from emissions intensive industries," Caleffi said. "We’re excited to be part of New Zealand’s transition to producing more home-grown clean energy to support decarbonisation of the economy, leveraging our proven experience of developing and operating offshore wind farms around the world."

New Zealand already generates more than 80% of its electricity from renewable sources (primarily hydropower), but across the economy -including transportation and industrial heating - renewables have so far accounted for only about 40% of the total. Greater electrification and significant new sources of renewable energy are needed to meet emissions reduction targets.

The Taranaki Offshore Partnership's proposed offshore wind farm would generate up to 1 GW of electricity, comparable to some of the country's largest hydroelectric plants, and could meet more than 11% of New Zealand's current electricity demand.