Auckland-headquartered Genesis Power said it expected to commission the extension of Hau Nui, this country's first commercial wind farm, sometime next year. Formal approval for the Hau Nui expansion followed recent South Wairarapa District Council consent approval of the project.
Genesis chief executive Murray Jackson said now that the consents had been approved Genesis would soon be calling for tenders for the supply of the additional wind generators, which will generate up to 800 kW of extra power.
However, Jackson told EnergyReview.net that he was not sure of the exact timing of the Hau Nui extension, primarily because transmission company Powerco was proposing to charge Genesis up to $NZ477, 000 a year for carrying the extra electricity on Powerco's 33kV network.
"That threatens the economic viability of the wind farm extension as those charges represent about half the net present value of the expansion," he said from Auckland.
Genesis had also offered Powerco up to $NZ500, 000 of capital to help with the reticulation problem, though it looked unlikely a quick settlement would be reached. "Which would be a shame as this wind farm and the extension would make the town of Martinborough self sufficient in power."
Jackson said fellow generator and retailer, Tauranga-based TrustPower, was also invesitgating expanding its wind farm near the Manawatu Gorge.
The existing Genesis wind farm, located near Martinborough, was six years old and consisted of seven turbines with a generation capacity of 3.5 MW, sufficient to supply power to up to 2500 houses in the South Wairarapa.
Jackson said that Genesis was planning to add up to 16 additional wind turbines as part of the company's commitment to renewable energy. Agreement had been reached with the affected landowners to use land near the existing wind farm.
"Genesis has adopted a policy of growth for the company's renewable energy generation portfolio covering wind, mini hydros and waste fuel generation. The Hau Nui extension is part of the Genesis strategy to increase the use of renewable energy sources," he added.
Load capacity for Hau Nui had averaged 43% per annum over the past three years, with the farm being close to end-users and having an existing reliable electricity distribution system nearby.
