Revisions reduce the need for forest clearance

25 August 2009

Media Release

Revisions significantly reduce the need for forest clearance

MainPower has revised road and turbine layouts for its proposed wind farm on Mt Cass – significantly reducing the amount of native vegetation and limestone pavement that needs to be cleared.

Commercial Manager Todd Mead said MainPower had been working hard examining the environmental impacts of the proposal following Hurunui District Council declining its resource consent in April.

MainPower has appealed that decision to the Environment Court.

“We’ve been able to take a close look at development techniques on recently constructed wind farms in Wellington and the Manawatu,” Mr Mead said.  “By utilising some of these, and refining service road and turbine locations, we have been able to substantially reduce the impacts of the development.”

Mr Mead said the revisions have resulted in more than a 40 percent reduction in the area of native forest to be cleared with clearance limited to a maximum of 1.3 hectares.  For the important combination of forest on limestone pavement the clearance area is less than 1 hectare.

The Mount Cass ridge contains another 45 hectares of native forest on limestone pavement that will be untouched by the development.

We think this is a very meaningful step in the Mt Cass proposal,” Mr Mead said.  “Especially when you look at the overall environmental benefits that will come from the positive biodiversity measures we will take to offset some of the project impacts, and the renewable energy generated by the project.”
 
Mr Mead also confirmed MainPower would enter a period of mediation with opponents to the project – including the Department of Conservation, the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society and others – from October.

It is expected the Environment Court hearing will take pn April next year.

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