The first piece of physical offshore wind technology in New Zealand, a Floating Light Detecting and Ranging device (FLiDAR), is in Port Taranaki ahead of its deployment in the South Taranaki Bight.
Deployed by Taranaki Offshore Partnership, a joint venture between Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and NZ Super Fund, the FLiDAR will be stationed 37km off the coast of Patea for one year, and will measure wind speeds, waves and currents to provide data critical for assessing the feasibility of a proposed offshore wind farm.
“The deployment of the FLiDAR is an exciting and important development in investigations into the feasibility of offshore wind in Taranaki," Port Taranaki chief executive Simon Craddock said.
“We’re very pleased to have helped Taranaki Offshore Partnership by providing laydown area for preparation of the device before it heads to the South Taranaki Bight, and will be happy to assist if needed during the FLiDAR’s year-long study.
“There’s real potential for the development of offshore wind in Taranaki, and we’re working alongside developers, including Taranaki Offshore Partnership, to understand how Port Taranaki and the region could support an offshore wind industry.”
Photo: Port Taranaki chief executive Simon Craddock, left, head of commercial Ross Dingle, and Taranaki Offshore Partnership's Giacomo Caleffi with the FLiDAR at Port Taranaki.
You can read Taranaki Offshore Partnership's release here.
