Wind power in New Zealand

Wind power constitutes a small but growing proportion of New Zealand's electricity. As of December 2020, wind power accounts for 690 MW of installed capacity and over 5 percent of electricity generated in the country.[1]

New Zealand has abundant wind resources. The country is in the path of the Roaring Forties, strong and constant westerly winds, and the funneling effect of Cook Strait and the Manawatū Gorge increase the resource's potential. Over three-quarters (512 MW) of the country's wind generation is installed within a 150 km (93 mi) radius of Palmerston North, with some turbines in the area having a capacity factor of over 50 percent.[2]

Generation capacity and expansion
Under construction
Operating
Flat Hill Wind Farm
Hau Nui Wind Farm
Mahinerangi Wind Farm
Mill Creek Wind Farm
Mt Stuart Wind Farm
Tararua Wind Farm
Te Apiti Wind Farm
Te Rere Hau Wind Farm
Te Uku Wind Farm
Waipipi Wind Farm
West Wind Wind Farm
White Hill Wind Farm
Turitea Wind Farm
Harapaki Wind Farm
Large wind farms (>5MW) in New Zealand.

As of December 2020, New Zealand had an installed wind generation capacity of 690 MW. In the 2020 calendar year, wind power produced 2,282 GWh of electricity, 5.5 percent of the country's electricity generation that year.[1]

A further 2,500 MW of wind farms have received resource consent.[3]

The New Zealand Wind Energy Association predicts that wind could reach 20 percent of New Zealand's annual generation by 2035.[4]

Wind potential

New Zealand has outstanding wind resources, due to its position astride the Roaring Forties, resulting in nearly continuous strong westerly winds over many locations, unimpeded by other nearby landmasses at similar latitude.[5] One study found that using 1% of total available land for wind farms would produce approximately 100,000 gigawatt hours (GWh) per year.[6]

Coping with intermittency
Main article: Wind power § Penetration

Wind farms partner well with hydro plants on the same grid to create combined power plants, because hydro plants can be uprated with extra turbine units to provide highly dispatchable peak generating capacity above the average flows of their rivers, at lower cost than other peak power options.[7]

List of operating wind farms

Only wind turbines and farms over 5 MW generating capacity are listed. Individual demonstration and prototype wind turbines have been installed at Southbridge in Canterbury,[8] Gebbies Pass near Christchurch and Brooklyn in Wellington. Many small windmills serve as windpumps on New Zealand farms.

NameCommissionedOperatorRegionNumber of turbinesInstalled capacity
(MW)		Annual average
generation (GWh)[9]		Coordinates
Flat Hill[10]2015 (September)[11]Pioneer EnergySouthland86.846°35′S 168°17′E
Hau Nui1997Genesis EnergySouth Wairarapa158.652241°22′S 175°29′E
Kaiwera Downs2023[12]Mercury EnergySouthland104314846°14′29″S 169°3′21″E
Mahinerangi2011 (March)Mercury EnergyOtago123610545°45′S 169°54′E
Mill Creek2014 (May)[13]Meridian EnergyWellington2659.841°13′S 174°44′E
Mt Stuart[14]2011 (December)Pioneer EnergyOtago97.6546°4′S 169°46′E
Tararua1999–2007Mercury EnergyManawatū13416165040°21′S 175°47′E
Te Āpiti2004Meridian EnergyManawatū559125840°18′S 175°48′E
Te Rere Hau2006–11NZ WindfarmsManawatū9748.540°23′S 175°43′E
Te Uku2011WEL Networks / Meridian EnergyWaikato2864.437°53′S 174°58′E
Turitea[15]2021 (northern stage)Mercury EnergyManawatū3311940°26′28″S 175°40′17″E
2023 (southern stage) Mercury EnergyManawatū 27 103
Waipipi 2020 (November) [16] Mercury EnergySouth Taranaki 31 133.3 455 39°47′S 174°33′E
Project West Wind2009Meridian EnergyWellington62142.655041°17′S 174°40′E
White Hill2007Meridian EnergySouthland295820045°45′S 168°16′E

Meridian Energy also operates a 1 MW wind farm on Ross Island, Antarctica. It is not included in the above list as it does not contribute electricity to the New Zealand national electricity network.[17][18]

Proposed and under construction
NameOperatorProjected capacity (MW)
StatusCommentsCoordinates
BlackmountSouthern Generation35 Proposed[19]
Castle Hill Wind FarmGenesis300 Consented (expires 2031)[20] 40°43′0″S 175°56′0″E
Glen MasseyVentus Energy150Proposed
HapuakoheManawa Energy230Proposed[21]
HarapakiMeridian Energy176 Under ConstructionBegan generating in November 2023 and full production is expected to be achieved in September 2024.39°11′2″S 176°41′35″E
KaihikuPioneer Energy / Manawa Energy300 Proposed[22][23]46°16′3.66″S 169°26′33.74″E
KaimaiVentus Energy157 Applied for Consent[24]
KaiwaikaweMercury Energy73 Consented[25]35°52′8.6″S 173°43′50.85″E
Kaiwera Downs (stage 2)Mercury Energy185Consented 46°14′29″S 169°3′21″E
Mahinerangi (stage 2)Mercury Energy160 Consented45°45′38″S 169°54′18″E
Mount CassMainPower93 ConsentedConstruction to begin in 2024.[26]43°4′30″S 172°50′15″E
Mount Munro Meridian Energy 90 Proposed 40°41′40″S 175°41′36″E
OtotokaManawa Energy150Proposed[27]
Project HuriwakaManawa Energy230 Proposed[28]39°31′52.02″S 175°48′25.7″E
Project HurunuiMeridian Energy71 Consented (expires 2023)[29]42°59′33″S 172°57′32″E
PuketoiMercury Energy310 Consented (expires 2031)[30][31]40°32′23″S 176°3′23″E
Slopedown Contact Energy 330 Proposed[32]
South Taranaki Offshore WindBluefloat900 Proposed[33]
TaumatatotaraVentus Energy32 ConsentedApplication for variation.[34]38°14′22.93″S 174°49′37.52″E
Waikato Offshore WindBluefloat1050–1400 Proposed[35]
WaiukuLET Capital80 Applied for consent[36] 37°19′57.12″S 174°41′18.04″E
Te Rere Hau (repowering) NZ Windfarms Consented Remove the 97 two-blade, 47m-high turbines already there and replace them with 30 three-blade, 162m-high turbines. 40°23′S 175°43′E
Aokautere Extension NZ Windfarms 45 Proposed Extend the Te Rere Hau wind farm footprint to the northwest, into the Ernslaw forestry block. If successful, would be able to install up to nine new wind turbines of 5MW each capacity.

Abandoned
NameOperatorProjected capacity (MW)CommentsCoordinates
Hauāuru mā rakiContact Energy540Abandoned[37]37°34′4″S 174°48′18″E
Project HayesMeridian Energy630Abandoned in January 201245°30′39″S 169°53′3″E
Long GullyWindflow Technology12.5Consents lapsed41°19′36″S 174°43′4″E
Maungatua Wind Farm[38][39]Windpower Maungatua25Abandoned[40]
Motorimu Wind Farm[41]Motorimu Wind Farm108Consents surrendered[42]
Project Gumfields[43]Meridian Energy99No consents, apparently abandoned
PuketiroRES NZ150No consents, apparently abandoned41°06′S 174°54′E
RototunaMeridian Energy500No consents, abandoned[44]36°15′0″S 174°1′48″E
Taharoa Wind Farm[45]Taharoa C100Consents lapsed[46]
WaitahoraContact Energy177Consents lapsed, abandoned[47]40°21′44″S 176°10′24″E

See also

References
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  2. Bradley, Grant Bradley, Grant (7 June 2011). "Wellington winds too windy for wind farm". The New Zealand Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 25 March 2018.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. "New Zealand's wind farms". New Zealand Wind Energy Association. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  4. "Wind Energy to be 20% of NZ Generation by 2035". New Zealand Wind Energy Association. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  5. "New Zealand wind resource". New Zealand Wind Energy Association. 10 January 2008. Archived from the original on 10 January 2008. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  6. "New Zealand's Wind Resource". New Zealand Wind Energy Association. Archived from the original on 20 March 2007. Retrieved 8 March 2008.
  7. "Hydroelectric Power" (PDF). United States Bureau of Reclamation. Retrieved 13 October 2008.
  8. New Zealand Wind Energy Association – Southbridge Wind Turbine Archived 4 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  9. "List of Generating Stations". New Zealand Electricity Authority. November 2010. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  10. "Flat Hill". New Zealand Wind Energy Association. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
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  13. "Meridian's new windfarm open". Dominion-Post. 8 January 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  14. "Proposed Mt Stuart Windfarm Information". Clutha District Council. Archived from the original on 1 March 2009. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
  15. Cook, Alexa (8 May 2021). "First stage of Mercury's Turitea Wind Farm to be switched on in October after year-long delay". Newshub. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
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  18. "McCully opens Antarctic wind farm". The New Zealand Herald. 16 January 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
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  23. "Proposal for South Otago wind farm unveiled". Stuff. 27 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
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  31. Janine Rankin (18 March 2023). "Winding road to turbine sites provides lessons for next wind farm projects". Stuff. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  32. Harding, Evan (8 November 2023). "Contact Energy to lodge $1b Southland wind farm consent application by year's end". Stuff. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  33. "New Zealand's first offshore wind farm gets underway in Taranaki". Stuff. 2 November 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  34. "Wind farm proposed near Taharoa". Stuff. 2 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  35. "$6 billion-plus wind farm investment blowing Waikato's way". Stuff. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  36. "Waiuku locals 'blindsided' by wind farm project". RNZ. 8 September 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  37. "Windfarm backtrack has heavy cost". Stuff. 21 August 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  38. "Mt Maungatua wind-farm proposal grows 25%". Otago Daily Times. 15 July 2008.
  39. 6 month report to 31 December 2008, NZ Windfarms Limited, 2 March 2009. Quote: "the WindPower Maungatua wind farm ... is now unlikely to proceed in the near future, if at all".
  40. "Wind farm development abandoned". Otago Daily Times. 29 August 2009.
  41. "Notice of Decision" (PDF). Joint Hearings Commissioners. Retrieved 14 February 2009.
  42. Miller, Grant (25 August 2009). "Wind farm idea off table as liquidators surrender consent". The Manawatu Standard.
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  44. "Kaipara settlement trust joins one billion tree scheme". 5 April 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
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  46. "Taharoa". New Zealand Wind Energy Association. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
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