Start date for Project West Wind confirmed

Media Release
Embargoed until 1pm, Wednesday, 15 August 2007

Meridian Energy confirms start date for Project West Wind

Meridian Energy has confirmed that it will go ahead with its Wellington wind farm and expects to begin enabling work on the project within the next month.

Chief Executive Dr Keith Turner said Project West Wind would make a substantial contribution to renewable energy in the lower North Island.

“This wind farm is using a superb wind resource, the envy of the electricity industry internationally. It is expected to be generating 92% of the time. We have spent the two years whilst the project has wound its way through the consenting process to carry out detailed investigations of the site and design of the turbine layout,” he said.

“We are working through the final details before executing a number of major contracts.”

However, Dr Turner says the wind farm will be a 62-turbine development; with four of the original 70 sites having been removed by the Environment Court, and with the proposed turbine unsuitable for four of the remaining 66 sites.

Even at 62 turbines, the wind farm would generate between 140-150 megawatts, which would be more than enough to supply every household in Wellington city.

The wind farm will have a substation on Terawhiti Station where the on-farm 33 kV network will be increased to
110 kV before it connects to Transpower’s double-circuit 110 kV line from Wilton to Central Park.

“Construction of Project West Wind will take approximately two years. It will commence with the external roading improvements, with the first stage of work concerning the Makara Hill – South Makara road section. Higgins Contractors has been engaged to do this work. Further information relating to the work and timing will be available when the start date is confirmed.

ENDS

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