Meridian chief executive Keith Turner yesterday said that Project West Wind had the potential to be the best performing wind farm in the world.

“Our proposal makes great use of Wellington’s world-class wind resource. The site has strong, consistent wind conditions because of the funnelling effect of Cook Strait, making it ideal for wind power generation.

“Project West Wind would be generating electricity over 90% of the time and operating at full capacity approximately 47% of the time – more than double the international average of 23%. This site is so outstanding, no subsidies are required to develop and operate Project West Wind.

Project West Wind was expected to have up to 70 turbines, significantly larger than Meridian’s 92MW Te Apiti wind farm in the Manawatu. Its generation would be supplied into the national grid and available for use in up to 110,000 homes in the greater Wellington area.

Turner said Project West Wind was another important step in helping to address New Zealand’s impending electricity generation shortfall, with demand increasing by about 2% per year but the former giant Maui gas field depleting rapidly.

“Meridian Energy is encouraging greater energy efficiency and upgrading our existing generation infrastructure, but these measures are not enough on their own. New Zealand must also pursue new electricity generation projects ... and Meridian Energy is committed to renewable energy and will generate electricity using only renewable resources.”

Also yesterday afternoon, New Zealand Windfarms said it had received resource consent for its Te Rere Hau wind farm in the Manawatu, with chief executive Chris Freear saying construction of their small (five-turbine) farm was scheduled to start next summer.

The overall project schedule would be confirmed after NZ Windfarms completes an IPO after listing on the NZX, and after its joint venture partners – Babcock & Brown and NP Power Pty – had completed their feasibility studies."

Babcock & Brown had recently taken Prime Infrastructure Group (now restructured and rebadged as Babcock & Brown Infrastructure) into its stable of companies and is a participant in power generation developments and energy markets in New Zealand, Australia and globally.

NP Power is the Australian arm of National Power which develops, owns or operates smaller and medium-sized electric generating facilities in the United States and Australia.

National Power and Babcock & Brown have developed the 145MW Redbank coal-tailing power plant in NSW, the 80.5MW Lake Bonney Stage 1 wind farm in South Australia, and the 90 MW Alinta wind farm in WA.