Dunedin wind farm consent granted
TrustPower has been granted consent to build a $400 million wind farm near Dunedin, despite overwhelming opposition to the project in the public submission process.
A joint hearing committee of Clutha District Council and Otago Regional Council has granted TrustPower consent to build the 100 turbine Mahinerangi Wind Farm, 50km west of Dunedin. It will have a power-generating capacity of 200MW, enough to supply about 100,000 homes.
TrustPower chief executive Ian Tempest said it could be five years before the wind farm was completed, and two years before the first turbine was up.
It was likely to be built in two stages, he said.
Nearly 200 of about 260 submittors opposed the wind farm being built.
But Clutha District Council spokesman Murray Brass said most adverse effects were “less than minor”.
Visual and noise effects were considered more significant, but the committee decided the benefits of producing renewable energy from the site outweighed those effects, Mr Brass said.
By Evan Harding
The Southland Times
1 October 2007
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Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
