BLUE MACKEREL NORTH PTY LTD
BLUE MACKEREL OFFSHORE WIND PROJECT
Backed by two of the world's leading energy companies, Blue Mackerel is strongly positioned to be one of Australia's first offshore wind projects.
Located approximately 10km off the Gippsland coast between Seaspray and Woodside Beach, the project is targeting delivery by 2032. At up to 1GW, it could generate enough electricity to power up to 750,000 Victorian homes.
By delivering large-scale renewable energy, the project is set to generate meaningful employment, investment, and supply chain opportunities across the region.
Project Overview
Blue Mackerel is being developed by JERA Nex bp - a 50:50 joint venture between JERA Co. and bp.
With more than 15 years' global experience in offshore wind, JERA Nex bp is one of the world's largest offshore wind developers, owners and operators. The company's combined portfolio includes approximately 13GW of net potential generating capacity: around 1GW of installed capacity, 7.5GW in development, and 4.5GW from secured leases.
JERA Nex bp draws on the strength of two world-leading companies- JERA Nex's track record in delivering and operating offshore wind projects with bp's extensive development portfolio and offshore energy expertise.
The project is committed to partnering with the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation, Traditional Owners, First Nations businesses, local communities, and Gippsland-based suppliers to ensure local participation and long-term benefits.
Blue Mackerel acknowledges the Gunaikurnai as the Traditional Custodians of Gippsland and pays respect to Elders past and present.
More information: Blue Mackerel website [Blue Mackerel], JNBP website [JERA Nex bp offshore wind developers, owners and operators]
Timing: Blue Mackerel is currently in the early planning and feasibility phase, following the award of a feasibility licence (FL001) in April 2024 for a 163 km area within the Gippsland Declared Offshore Wind Zone. A 7-year feasibility period is now underway, during which Blue Mackerel will conduct environmental studies, planning assessments, community engagement and regulatory approvals before construction can begin.
Subject to approvals and final investment, construction would commence in 2029 with first power targeted for 2032.
Progress to Date
Already, Blue Mackerel has made significant progress:
First Management Plan for offshore wind activities to be approved by the new Offshore Infrastructure Regulator
Geophysical and Geotechnical Marine Surveys (completed March 2025): These works gathered deep and shallow seabed data to inform foundation and cable design.
Wind and Wave Monitoring (deployed March 2025): A FLiDAR buoy and wave buoy are collecting long-term wind and metocean data.
Environmental Monitoring Campaign (commenced July 2025): Includes aerial marine mammal surveys and deployment of Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) equipment to gather two years of environmental baseline data.
Opportunities for Suppliers
Our vision is to grow a strong Australian offshore wind supply chain. That means creating opportunities for Gippsland-based, Victorian and Australian businesses across various stages of the project.
The above studies will support early engineering studies, which will inform early design concepts, construction methods, risk management strategies, and detailed work package planning. The process of concept and preliminary design is designated as Pre-FEED (Pre- Front End Engineering Design). Pre-FEED works will support:
a. Key design decisions,
b. Risk assessment and mitigation,
c. Project scope break-down to work packages/lots ,
d. Approach to the construction execution and operations phase and
e. Precise cost estimates.
The ongoing Pre-FEED works are assisting the identification of work packages-lots ( ref. (c) above). The following main work packages have been identified to date:
1. Foundations fabrication
2. Foundations Transport and Installation (T&I)
3. Onshore Substation supply and construction
4. Onshore underground cables supply and installation
5. Landfall-Shore crossing (HDD-Horizontal directional drilling) for cables
6. Offshore Substation fabrication
7. Offshore Substation Transport and Installation (T&I)
8. Offshore Export cables supply
9. Offshore Inter-Array cables supply
10. Offshore Export and Inter Array Cables T&I
11. Wind Turbine Generators (WTGs) supply , T&I and maintenance
12. Operations and Maintenance (O&M)
Engineering works to further break down (WBS -Work Breakdown Structure) the Blue Mackerel project scope and identify supply categories and work elements is still in progress.
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BLUE MACKEREL NORTH PTY LTD
VIC Australia
Project Primary Contact
Work Packages
Substation HV conductor and cables, LV and control cables, earth conductor and fiber optical cables including all cables terminations
- Site preparation
- Bulk earth work and benching
- Gates, fencing, and access roads
- Drainage, sewage, potable water systems
- Foundations for transformers, switchgear, and control buildings
- Cable trenches
- Earthing grid
- Cranage for off-loading and installation of all equipment at site
Includes:
- Cable Route survey
- Site preparation and access road improvements (if required)
o Conduits supply and delivery.
o Warning tapes supply and delivery.
o Access roads from public access road to cable corridor.
o Temporary access road construction.
o Trenching, shoring, ducting, or HDD works.
o Construction of joint bays, link boxes, and manholes.
o Thermal backfill material supply and delivery, placement and compaction.
o Cable protection systems (warning tapes, etc.).
o Removal of temporary access road.
o Restoration of land post-installation.
o Cable drum laydown areas, bonding pits, and pulling winch setups sited within pre agreed temporary work zones.
o Temporary works plan including access, compaction, and removal on completion.
Davit crane for Offshore Wind Turbines with the following basic capabilities:
- Suitable for offshore use (IP66)
- 30 year lifetime with maintenance
SWL of 1 ton and options of up to 2 tons
- Automatic operation via control panel
690v power supply
- Optional battery operation for limited time
- Ability to boom (up and down) and slew up to 270 degrees
Completion of detailed design calculations and reports, including but not limited to:
- Functional Design Report
- Load flow & Fault levels studies;
- Wind Farm energy losses calculation;
- Dynamic loading on equipment due to faults;
- Equipment selection;
- Cable selection and rating calculations;
- Earthing and earth potential rise study;
- Protection philosophy and settings report
Enabling works including but not limited to establishment of site facilities and services, temporary utilities, and road upgrades (where required)
Includes:
- Conduits laying. Pulling of HV cables, DTS, and fiber cables (supplied by Employer) into installed
- Cables and terminations, earth conductor connection and jointing Route marking and GPS logging
- Connection to substation sealing ends and fibre and DTS box
- Marking and lighting for offshore foundation structures
- Identification boards
- Floodlights for boat landing & deck visibility
- Aviation lights systems
- Visibility metering system linked to aviation lights
- Navigational marking systems for offshore structures
The Onshore Cable System is expected to comprise the following components:
- Two (2) 275 kV circuits, mode of 3 cables each rated for a capacity of 500 MW each ((Ratings are approx. and indicative )
- A Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS) system for thermal monitoring
- Fiber optic communication cables
- An earthing system
- Civil works and buildings
- earth grid HV cable ends, primary switching and measuring equipment
- 500/275/11kV transformers, (Ratings are approx.. and indicative )
- 275kV switchgear (circuit breakers, busbars, isolators, earth switch, CTs/VTs, surge arrester) (Ratings are approx.. and indicative)
- Control Building
- AC/DC supplies
- Secondary Plant systems
- Substation auxiliary and backup supplies
- Gantries & structural steels
- Site lighting poles, lightning poles and all associated HV, LV, control, earthing, and fiberoptic cabling and terminations
Installation of protection and control systems, including:
- Interfaces between the Onshore Substation, HV cables, and VicGrid substation
- Site security and cybersecurity measures
- Duplicated protection relays
- SCADA integration
- Control panels and RTU installation
- Interfacing with any existing systems (if applicable)
Rehabilitation of disturbed areas by project operations, including site clean up and re-vegetation as required
Installation of SCADA systems and associated cabling
Includes topographical surveys, thermal resistivity testing, earth resistivity testing, and geotechnical investigations, geophysical survey (on and offshore), Lidar survey.
Provision of site security and safeguarding of materials and plant during the execution of works
Testing and commissioning of the Onshore Substation and all interfaces, including:
- Pre-commissioning tests
- Cold and hot commissioning
- AEMO commissioning
- Resolution of punch list items
- Electrical certification
- Final commissioning, first energisation, and handover documentation
