"Seabed mine could produce devastating sediment flows, panel told", 28 October 2025

The Australian-owned firm behind a controversial proposal to mine the seabed off the coast of Taranaki has disputed claims its project could render offshore wind farms in the same area unviable.

Submissions on Trans-Tasman Resources Ltd’s application for fast-tracking of its seabed mining scheme have been released by the Environmental Protection Authority.

The documents show two prospective wind farm developers – Japanese-British consortium JERA Nex bp and Taranaki Offshore Partnership, a joint venture between a Danish developer and the NZ Super Fund – wrote to the panel considering the application to oppose it. [...]

By contrast, Trans-Tasman wrote, offshore wind farms will leave infrastructure even after decommissioning that would make seabed mining on those sites impossible. [...]