Meridian to build $395 million wind farm in Hawke’s Bay

24 February 2021
Meridian Energy will soon begin construction of a new $395 million wind farm in Hawke’s Bay,
boosting New Zealand’s ability to take action on climate change and accelerating the transformation
of the economy to clean energy sources.
The Harapaki Wind Farm will be New Zealand’s second-largest wind farm with 41 turbines generating
176 MW of renewable energy, enough to power over 70,000 average households. The construction
will take around three years and is expected to create 260 new jobs.
Meridian Energy Chief Executive Neal Barclay says the decision to commence construction now is a
sign of confidence that clean energy infrastructure can deliver strong economic benefits.
“Renewable generation is an engine of economic growth for New Zealand. There’s a massive clean
energy transformation underway in the New Zealand economy and now is the time to tackle climate
action to support Aotearoa accelerate its transition away from fossil fuels.
“We need to move faster to convert our fossil fuel industries to clean energy, convert our transport
fleet to electricity and ensure every new industrial development is powered by clean energy.”
Mr Barclay says New Zealand will need to build more grid-scale wind generation every year to reach
its international and domestic emissions targets and meet demand as transportation and industry
move from fossil fuels to clean energy.
“Recent advice from He Pou a Rangi, the Climate Change Commission, clearly signals that New
Zealand must ambitiously pursue bold climate goals to achieve net-zero emissions, and this is what
getting there looks like. Building more new renewable generation like Harapaki will help us lower
emissions, reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and speed up our transition to a productive low carbon
economy,” Mr Barclay says.
Meridian is the country’s largest and most experienced owner of wind farms, with five currently in
operation around New Zealand. Mr Barclay says Harapaki will use advanced wind generation
technology from Europe to set new benchmarks for turbine efficiency and sustainable construction
practices. Design reviews have lowered the amount of concrete and steel needed in construction,
reducing the overall carbon footprint of the project by over 30%.
“Our vision is for Harapaki to be New Zealand’s most sustainable wind farm and one that delivers
transformative economic growth and advances our goals for climate action,” Barclay says.

part of a much larger presentation

courtesy of Bell Direct
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DYOR

i hold MEZ

i hope it doesn't snow often in Hawke's Bay

*** Design reviews have lowered the amount of concrete and steel needed in construction,
reducing the overall carbon footprint of the project by over 30%.***

worth remembering for the long term ( if heads need to roll later )

ive been watching MEZ. was hioping for $5 but maybe this is the news its needs to get back on track.

have to watch that snow freezing gas well heads too Sal....

im not for or against nuclear. I am for it as part of a longer plan as renewables ramp up, but designing and commissioning a nuclear plant in Australia for example would take nearly 20 years.

if Australia just dropped 100 billion into renewables, storage (battery, hydro and hygrogen) and grid (not much more than the 80 bill for a few submarines) we would be in a pretty good spot.