Harapaki Wind Farm
The Harapaki Wind Farm is a wind farm project in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand. Construction began in June 2021 and is expected to continue for three years.[2][3]
| Harapaki Wind Farm | |
|---|---|
| Country | New Zealand |
| Location | Hawke's Bay |
| Coordinates | 39°11′2″S 176°41′35″E / 39.18389°S 176.69306°ECoordinates: 39°11′2″S 176°41′35″E / 39.18389°S 176.69306°E |
| Status | Under construction |
| Owner(s) | Meridian Energy Limited |
| Operator(s) | |
| Wind farm | |
| Hub height | 85 metres (279 ft) |
| Rotor diameter | 120 metres (390 ft) |
| Power generation | |
| Units planned | 41 |
| Nameplate capacity | 176 MW |
| Annual net output | 542 GWh[1] |
History
In 2006, Hawkes Bay Wind Farm Ltd was granted resource consent for a 75 turbine, 225 MW wind farm at Titiokura.[4] The same year Unison Networks was granted consent for a 15 turbine, 45 MW development. Both consents were upheld by the Environment Court in October 2006.[5] A proposed expansion of Unison's project[6] was rejected by the Environment Court in 2009.[7][8]
In 2010 Hawkes Bay Wind Farm Ltd was purchased by Meridian Energy.[9] Unison's consent was purchased in 2011, and the sites combined.[10]
In August 2019 Meridian sought interest from potential contractors for the wind farm's construction.[10] Construction was expected to begin in 2020, but was delayed due to the possible closure of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter.[11] In February 2021 Meridian announced that construction would begin later that year, and would take approximately three years.[12][13] Site preparation began in mid-2021.[14]
Location
The wind farm is being built on the Maungaharuru Range, near the Titiokura Summit, about 34 km northwest of Napier Airport.[4] The altitude of the range is approximately 1300 metres.
Operation
The wind farm will use 41 Siemens Gamesa 4.3 MW turbines, measuring 85 m (279 ft) from base to hub with a rotor diameter of 120 m (394 ft). Electricity will be supplied to the national grid via a new substation on Transpower's Redclyffe-Whirinaki-Wairakei 220 kV transmission line.[15]
See also
References
- ^ "Meridian kicks off $395m Harapaki development". BusinessDesk. 24 February 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
- ^ Marty Sharpe (24 February 2021). "Meridian Energy's huge new $395 million wind farm, and 260 jobs, coming to Hawke's Bay". Stuff. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- ^ "A lot of air . . ". Hawkes Bay Today. 15 June 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- ^ a b (PDF). Hawkes bay wind farm ltd. August 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
- ^ "Environment Court says yes to Te Pohue turbines". 19 July 2007. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
- ^ (PDF). Unison. August 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
- ^ "Wind farm decision a waste, says lines company". RNZ. 24 February 2009. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
- ^ Marty Sharpe (20 March 2009). "Maori issues cited as wind farm declined". Stuff. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
- ^ Marty Sharpe (5 November 2010). "Meridian buys company with wind farm consent". Stuff. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
- ^ a b Marty Sharpe (5 August 2019). "Wind farm first approved 14 years ago may finally get underway". Stuff. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
- ^ Doug Laing (27 August 2020). "Hawke's Bay windfarm shelved because of Tiwai Point closure plan". Hawkes Bay Today. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
- ^ Tom Pullar-Strecker (24 February 2021). "Meridian aims to build new wind farm every three years". Stuff. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- ^ Gianina Schwanecke (23 February 2021). "Hawke's Bay wind farm will create 260 jobs in 3 years, but iwi's long term concerns remain". Hawkes Bay Today. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
- ^ "Work on Harapaki Wind Farm, north of Napier, set to spin to full speed in spring". Hawkes Bay Today. 29 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- ^ "Harapaki Wind Farm, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand". www.power-technology.com. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
External links
- Harapaki Wind Farm
- NZ Wind Energy Association Hawkes Bay Consented Site