Offshore wind company doubles down on opposition to seabed mining in South Taranaki

In May, offshore wind companies sent a briefing paper to Government ministers warning them seabed mining and off-shore wind farms were mutually exclusive. Photo / NZME

By Robin Martin, RNZ

An offshore wind energy company has reiterated its proposal to install 70 turbines off the coast of Taranaki is not compatible with seabed mining.

Trans-Tasman Resources’ (TTR) plan to mine 50 million tonnes of the seabed every year for 30 years in the South Taranaki Bight has been included on the Government’s list of fast-track projects.

In May, offshore wind companies sent a briefing paper to Government ministers likely to be involved in the fast-track process warning them the two activities were mutually exclusive.

Taranaki Offshore Partnership wants to build an offshore wind farm capable of generating 1GW - enough to power more than 650,000 homes - off the coast of Pātea.

In a statement, it said a seabed mining project would significantly disrupt the seabed floor up to a depth of 11 metres, and offshore wind turbines and electrical cables could not be constructed in the same location as an active seabed mining operation.

“Furthermore, it is unlikely we would be able to develop an area that had previously been mined - at least not until sufficient time had passed for the seabed to re-settle, at which point we would be back to square one with surveying the seabed etc.”

Taranaki Offshore Partnership said the need for consenting authorities to consider cumulative environmental effects might also make it difficult to set up a wind farm in the same area as a seabed mining operation.

TTR executive chair Alan Eggers said the offshore wind companies were the new kids on the block.

“The offshore wind companies have come along quite recently, and we’ve been out there since 2008, have a large investment and have defined a very large world-class resource of 3.2 billion tonnes of titanomagnetite.”

Eggers said TTR had been in contact with the wind sector, despite the fact it did not have legislation in place yet to create a regulatory environment to even begin applying for consents.

“We have reached out to the wind people and suggested that we could talk and share information and work together out there.

“They’ve chosen not to engage, and said they will wait to see how we go in the fast-track legislation and what the legislation looks like for their own approvals.”

Eggers has previously agreed the two activities could not operate simultaneously in the same place, but that he could see no reason why offshore wind could not follow in a timely fashion once seabed mining was complete.

Last week on a visit to New Plymouth - ahead of the fast-tracking announcement - Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he hoped the two sectors could find a way to work together.

- RNZ