New Zealand Opens First Offshore Wind Feasibility Permit Round

New Zealand has opened an offshore wind feasibility permit application round, inviting developers to apply for authorisation to investigate potential projects off the Taranaki and Waikato / South Auckland coasts.

The application period opened on 19 October and will remain open until 19 April 2027, according to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).

Under New Zealand’s offshore renewable energy permitting regime, a feasibility permit allows developers to carry out studies to assess the viability of an offshore wind project within a designated area. Developers must subsequently obtain other required consents to build and operate an offshore wind farm.

Several offshore wind projects have been proposed in the country over the past few years, including the two areas off New Zealand’s North Island now open for applications. In 2022, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and the NZ Super Fund began investigating a potential 1 GW project in the South Taranaki Bight. The project’s development work has included a floating LiDAR campaign to measure wind resources, completed in 2025.

This story was originally published by offshoreWIND.biz. Read the full story at offshoreWIND.biz →