17 August 2009

Long Gully Wind Farm Hearing Starts

The Resource Consent hearing for the proposed Long Gully wind farm starts today in Wellington.

If consented, the 12.5 MW distributed generation wind farm would be based on Long Gully station, to the west of Brooklyn and south of Karori.

The proposal consists of 25 New Zealand made Windflow 500 turbines, about the same size as the nearby iconic Brooklyn wind turbine. The nearly 30 metre high towers for the Windflow turbines are currently manufactured in Petone.

Windflow Technology submitted the application to the Wellington City Council in May, and submissions closed in June. There were some 74 submissions on the proposal, with 38 in support, 28 opposing and eight with a neutral stance.

“We have enjoyed talking to interested Wellingtonians about the project and we look forward to the hearing process”, said Emma Patrick, Long Gully Wind Farm Project Manager.

The modest size wind farm would connect directly into the local Wellington electricity network, providing electricity for 5000 – 6000 homes and avoiding around 29,000 tonnes of CO2 each year.

There are currently over 50 mid-size Windflow 500 turbines installed and operating at the NZ Windfarms owned Te Rere Hau wind farm, near Palmerston North, as well as one Windflow 500 turbine operating near Christchurch.

ENDS

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