Media Release

29 April 2009

HMR Wind Farm Kangaroo Court Falters on Day 1

The Contact HMR Wind Farm Application, called in by the previous Labour Government hatchet minister, Trevor Mallard , faltered at very the first hurdle, when the Judge chairing to Board of Inquiry, seeking to fast-track to application, without due regard for public process, correctly assessed from Contact’s own evidence that Wind Farm economics are doubtful at best.

The lead Contact counsel conceded, in his opening evidence, that the wind farm was unlikely to proceed immediately after consents were granted. “There is no certainty HMR will be built” stated Trevor Robinson

``Contact has `snowed’ the BOI hearing, and legitimate interested parties, with 2700 pages of poor quality evidence, none of it peer reviewed’’, said Te Akau farmer Ross Townshend. The BOI Chairman also commented on the lack of detail and discussion in some of Contact’s evidence.

``The whole process is being rushed, by previous government edict, when it is clear that no party, other than Contact, is well served by the haste. The BOI should be suspended immediately and Contact sent to `do their homework properly’ and return via the standard RMA processes, that other New Zealand companies have to follow, if they think they still have a case.’’

``Contact has no intention of farming wind, it is farming the process, and milking the land owners and residents, in the coastal area between Port Waikato and Raglan,’’ said Townshend.

Townshend is a vocal opponent on two fronts. He does not want wind turbines or transmission corridors anywhere near his properties at Te Akau, but he is more concerned about the economic impact that a 180 turbine, 1600GWhr, $4 Billion investment in wind farming will do for New Zealand’s economic competitiveness.

``There is a lot of emotion about wind farms and their `clean green’ image, which is not supported by facts and reality. The HMR project, if it proceeds, will not return to carbon neutrality until at least year 10, of an expected 20 year life. While it is fascinating for some, to see turbines using `free’ wind, the reality is that wind can only be relied on for about 20% of the time, allowing for periods of too much wind, not enough wind and some other engineering considerations’’.

``For about 80% of the time, each and every wind farm in New Zealand will need back up from another generating source. The previous government, in a headlong mindless rush, fuelled by the myth of Climate Change, banned the most practical forms of backup generators,’’ said Townshend.

``The power generated by wind farms is more than double the cost per unit than the base generation cost in New Zealand, according to an independent and hugely respected energy expert, Bryan Leyland, also an opponent of wind farms in New Zealand.’’

``Can anyone be serious about doubling our power cost? Would the New Zealand public stand for the cost of a litre of petrol doubling to suit some government whim and to line the pockets of Australian shareholders?’’

``To have a majority Australian owned generator circumventing due public process is an outrage. On the very first day, the BOI Chairman is asking why the fast track process should be used for such a dubious project.’’

For Townshend and the other opponents of the HMR project, and the process being used to rail-road it through, there is several months of hearings to be endured. ``All of us have `day jobs’ in agriculture and commerce, and no one can reasonably cover the 2700 page tsunami of Contact’s `evidence’.’’

``The BOI should be called to a stop right now, and due process followed without the Call in Shanghai.’’

ENDS

Editors notes
Bullet point summary of Contact's proposal.
• 180 wind turbines spread atop hills on the west coast between Raglan and Port Waikato, just south of Auckland.
• Wind turbines are 150m tall and that compares with ANZ centre at 144m, Vero at 167m, PWC tower at 117m or Fonterra Te Rapa dairy factory at 56mPower from the turbines will be taken to substations via underground cables.
• The substations will connect together via 33,000V overground lines.
• The total output from the substations will be connected to the main grid by one corridor of 220,000V over ground lines (the external transmission line).
• The transmission line towers will be just under 50 metres high.
• Rights to place the turbines have apparently already been negotiated with the landowners on an `ongoing royalty’ basis.
• Contact want easements to place the external transmission towers and lines by way of a one-off compensatory payment to landowners.
• Contact allege they will save approximately $300m by going overground with the external transmission line (rather than underground).
• Contact have casually engaged landowners about negotiating the transmission line easements.
• Contact intend on using the Resource Management Act and the Public Works Act to secure the easements if necessary. This has left many landowners with a feeling of inevitability.
• The RMA application was `called in’ by the Minister last year. This takes it out of the Councils and Environment Court and puts its before a selected Board of Inquiry. Appeals from the Board are to the High Court and only on points of law.
• The Board of Inquiry process has just comments and the is extremely tight.
Contact have dumped a massive amount of evidence on other submitters, many of whom do not have high speed internet and have other full time commitments.