Worley secures contract for Australian offshore wind farm
By:
Tom Russell
26/07/2022
Worley
Worley has been awarded
a framework agreement by Flotation Energy for pre-feasibility study services
to the Seadragon project, a 1,500 MW offshore wind farm off the coast of
Gippsland. The project is vying to be one of Australia’s first offshore
wind sites with the aim of producing enough energy to power some one million
homes and businesses across Victoria.
The proposed project site is located near older oil and gas platforms in
the Bass Strait. This offers the potential for re-purposing assets no longer
needed for oil and gas production to house offshore infrastructure. It
will also consider synergies for the construction, operations, and maintenance
phases of the offshore wind farm.
Worley's study will propose the concept design of the overall project and
aims to provide recommendations for efficient execution. The company stated
it will explore the best practices for building a sustainable industry
and analyze the local supply chain, ports, and harbor infrastructure.
Study development will be led from our Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, and Brisbane
offices. Worley outlined it will draw upon expertise from its offshore
wind center in Europe.
“Australia has a long-established history in conventional energy. The
Seadragon project will act as an energy transition bridge between the oil
and gas and wind industries, bringing opportunities to retrain and upskill
local workforces into renewables-focused roles,” said Christopher
Cowland, Vice President Global Offshore Wind.
“Flotation Energy is an early entrant into the emerging Australian offshore
wind market, and we’re delighted to be working with Worley to support
engineering studies for the next stage of the 1,500 MW Seadragon offshore
wind farm. Worley combines its extensive in-house expertise across all
aspects of offshore wind with local knowledge of Gippsland and Bass Strait,
which will be critical to successfully delivering the project," said
Tim Sawyer, Director at Flotation Energy Plc.
“Our work with Flotation Energy on this project is a crucial milestone
in Australia’s energy transition journey. It’s aligned with our purpose
of delivering a more sustainable world and is integral in paving the path
for the offshore wind industry ahead,"says Cowland.
The initial study is projected to take 12 weeks, with first power expected
in 2030.
