A resource consent application for the 60- to 80-turbine farm will be lodged by Hawkes Bay Wind Farm (HBWF) in May, with the farm potentially operational by late-2006 or early-2007. If successfully constructed, it will be the largest wind farm in New Zealand.
“The economics of wind farming remains finely balanced and ultimate timing of the project will be dependent on a successful tender by the company in the Government’s Kyoto Protocol Projects Mechanism tender for emission reduction units due in June this year,” said Alistair Wilson, director of HBWF shareholder, Wind Farm Developments.
The Titiokura Summit site is believed to have access to prime winds and its location is close to the existing transmission network. The farm will be located in pastoral lands and have little impact on environmentally sensitive flora and fauna.
If the development goes ahead, it is hoped it will provide significant employment opportunities for the Te Pohue community as well as a reliable electricity supply for the North Island.
