Mahinerangi Wind Farm

The Mahinerangi Wind Farm is a wind farm on the north side of Lake Mahinerangi, around 50 km west of Dunedin, in Otago, New Zealand. Stage one of the wind farm, generating 36 MW, was commissioned in March 2011,[2] and an additional 160 MW is consented to be commissioned in further stages.[3]

Mahinerangi Wind Farm
Four of the twelve turbines at Mahinerangi Wind Farm, 2 April 2011
CountryNew Zealand
Locationnorth of Lake Mahinerangi, Otago
Coordinates45°45′38″S 169°54′18″E
StatusOperational
Construction beganSeptember 2010
Commission dateMarch 2011 (March 2011)
Construction costNZ$75 million[1]
Owner(s)Mercury NZ Ltd
Wind farm
TypeOnshore
Rotor diameter90 m (295 ft)
Rated wind speed15 m/s (54 km/h; 34 mph)
Site area17.23 km2 (6.65 sq mi)
Site elevation600–730 m (1,970–2,400 ft)
Power generation
Units operational12
Make and modelVestas: V90-3MW
Nameplate capacity36 MW
Planned: 200 MW
Annual net output101 GWh (stage 1)[2]

The wind farm is owned and operated by Mercury NZ Ltd. It was the second major wind farm to be built in the South Island.

History

Resource consent was granted in 2007[4] and later confirmed after an appeal to the Environment Court.[5]

Construction of stage 1 of the wind farm, consisting of twelve turbines, began in September 2010.[6] Vestas V90-3MW turbines were chosen for the wind farm, having previously been used for stage 3 of Tararua Wind Farm in 2007. Turbines were shipped to Port Chalmers, and trucked through Dunedin to their final site.

The wind farm generated its first electricity on 21 February 2011, with the first two turbines being commissioned.[7] All twelve stage one turbines were completed and generating electricity by the end of March 2011.[1][2]

Location

The wind farm will be contained within 17.23 km2 (6.65 sq mi) of land at an elevation of 600 to 730 metres above sea level and about 50 kilometres west of Dunedin.[8] Most of the land in the proposed site is pasture grazed by sheep and cattle.[9]

Stage 2

Stage 2 at Mahinerangi is proposed for up to 100 wind turbines producing 160MW and an annual output of over 600GWh. Resource consents were granted in 2009.[3]

Transmission

Electricity generated from Stage 1 turbines is injected into the nearby Deep Stream and Waipori hydro schemes. This utilised the existing 33kV transmission line and avoided the cost of additional transmission infrastructure.[2] Electricity from Stage 1 and the hydro schemes is then injected into either Dunedin's local distribution network, or into Transpower's Halfway Bush-Balclutha-Gore 110 kV line at Berwick.

Stage 2 and beyond is too large to inject into the Waipori/Deep Stream system. Instead, it will inject into Transpower's Halfway Bush-Roxburgh 110 kV line, which passes a short distance south of the wind farm.[3]

See also

References
  1. "DUNEDIN'S NEWEST WIND FARM OPEN TO THE PUBLIC". TrustPower. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  2. "Mahinerangi Wind Farm Stage 1". Tilt Renewables. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  3. "Mahinerangi Wind Farm Stage 2". Tilt Renewables. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  4. "TrustPower Welcomes Mahinerangi Wind Farm Decision". Scoop. 2007-10-01.
  5. "Mahinerangi wind farm passes court hurdle". Otago Daily Times. NZPA. 22 December 2008. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  6. "Mahinerangi Wind Farm Project Community Meeting Progress Booklet". 15 December 2010. Retrieved 2011-01-23.
  7. "Mahinerangi Windfarm up and in action". Channel 9 Dunedin. 21 February 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
  8. TrustPower Mahinerangi Wind Farm
  9. TrustPower - AEE Volume I
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