March 1, 2014
New Zealand

Wind farm project gets extra year

Mathew Grocott | 01/03/2014 | www.stuff.co.nz

Meridian Energy has been given a further 12 months to start work on a proposed wind farm between Taihape and Waiouru.

The company received resource consent in February 2009 for a 52-turbine project called Central Wind.

A condition of the consent was that the company had five years to start work on the project, otherwise the consent would lapse.

Meridian approached the councils that granted the consent for an extension on that deadline. Ruapehu District Council and Horizons Regional Council had previously agreed to an extension and it was reported at this week’s Rangitikei District Council meeting that it had too.

Rangitikei Mayor Andy Watson said as Meridian had “lost a year” after their consents were appealed to the Environment Court it was decided they could receive an extension.

The consents now expire in May 2015, which marks five years since the Environment Court ruling on the wind farm.

According to Meridian’s website the Central Wind project would generate up to 119.6 megawatts of electricity, enough each year for about 50,000 homes.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2014/03/01/wind-farm-project-gets-extra-year/