January 26, 2012
New Zealand

Consent bid for Eketahuna wind farm

Nathan Crombie, Wairarapa Times-Age, www.times-age.co.nz 26 January 2012

Meridian Energy has sought resource consent for a 20-turbine wind farm near Eketahuna.

The Mt Munro wind farm could generate up to 240 GWh of power annually, enough to supply 31,000 homes, said Meridian Energy project manager Carolyn Wylie.

The company had already conducted community consultation about the project, which included an open day in Eketahuna in October. Another will be heard next month.

“We’ve been talking with the community about this project since last July,” Ms Wylie said.

Mt Munro sits on the boundaries of the Tararua and Masterton districts, an area known for strong and consistent wind.

The Masterton and Tararua district councils and the Horizons and Greater Wellington regional councils will call for public submissions once the application has been assessed.

Meanwhile, the latest round of resource consent hearings continues today over the $1.6 million Castle Hill wind farm, which could become the largest in the world.

Genesis Energy lodged a consent application in August for the farm, attracting more than 100 submissions. The scheme involves close to 300 turbines sited on an area stretching from Alfredton to Pongoroa.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/01/26/consent-bid-for-eketahuna-wind-farm/