Mahinerangi Wind Farm
Encyclopedia
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, and an additional 164 MW is consented to be commissioned in further stages.
The wind farm is owned and operated by generator-retailer TrustPower
. It is the company's second wind farm, and the second major wind farm to be built in the South Island.
Construction of stage 1 of the wind farm, consisting of twelve turbines, began in September 2010. Vestas V90-3MW
turbines were chosen for the wind farm, having previously used by TrustPower for stage 3 of its 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. All twelve stage one turbines were completed and generating electricity by the end of March 2011.
. Most of the land in the proposed site is pasture grazed by sheep and cattle.
'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.
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, and an additional 164 MW is consented to be commissioned in further...
is a wind farm on the north side of Lake Mahinerangi
Lake Mahinerangi
Lake Mahinerangi is a small hydroelectric lake formed by a dam on the Waipori River 35 kilometres to the west of Dunedin in New Zealand's South Island....
, around 50 km west of Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
, in Otago
Otago
Otago is a region of New Zealand in the south of the South Island. The region covers an area of approximately making it the country's second largest region. The population of Otago is...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. Stage one of the wind farm, generating 36 MW, was commissioned in March 2011, and an additional 164 MW is consented to be commissioned in further stages.
The wind farm is owned and operated by generator-retailer TrustPower
TrustPower
TrustPower Limited is a New Zealand electricity generation and electricity retailing company, listed on the New Zealand stock exchange.TrustPower is New Zealand's fifth largest electricity generator and the fourth largest electricity retailer , serving 260,000 customers throughout New Zealand...
. It is the company's second wind farm, and the second major wind farm to be built in the South Island.
History
Resource consent was granted in 2007 and later confirmed after an appeal to the Environment Court.Construction of stage 1 of the wind farm, consisting of twelve turbines, began in September 2010. Vestas V90-3MW
Vestas V90-3MW
The Vestas V90-3MW is a three bladed upwind wind turbine generator that uses pitch control and a doubly fed induction generator...
turbines were chosen for the wind farm, having previously used by TrustPower for stage 3 of its Tararua Wind Farm
Tararua Wind Farm
The Tararua Wind Farm is a wind farm owned and operated by TrustPower. It is located on of farm land on the Tararua Ranges of New Zealand. It has become New Zealand's largest capacity wind farm with a total capacity of 160MW....
in 2007. Turbines were shipped to Port Chalmers
Port Chalmers
Port Chalmers is a suburb and the main port of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand, with a population of 3,000. Port Chalmers lies ten kilometres inside Otago Harbour, some 15 kilometres northeast from Dunedin's city centre....
, 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. All twelve stage one turbines were completed and generating electricity by the end of March 2011.
Location
The wind farm will be contained within 17.23 km² (6.7 sq mi) of land at an elevation of 600 to 730 meters above sea level and about 50 kilometres west of DunedinDunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
. Most of the land in the proposed site is pasture grazed by sheep and cattle.
Transmission
Electricity generated from Stage 1 turbines will be injected into TrustPower's nearby Deep Stream and Waipori hydro schemes. This allows the wind turbines to operate in synergy with the hydro schemes, allowing water to be preserved during off-peak times while the wind farm is generating. Electricity from Stage 1 and the hydro schemes is then injected into either Dunedin's local distribution network, or into TranspowerTranspower
Transpower my refer to:* Transpower New Zealand Limited, a transmission system operator in New Zealand* Transpower Stromübertragungs GmbH, a subsidiary of TenneT, one of transmission system operators in Germany....
's Halfway Bush
Halfway Bush
Halfway Bush is a suburb of the New Zealand city of Dunedin. It is located to the northwest of the city centre, close to the point at which Taieri Road becomes the winding rural Three Mile Hill Road...
-Balclutha
Balclutha, New Zealand
Balclutha is a town in Otago, it lies towards the end of the Clutha River on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is about halfway between Dunedin and Invercargill on the Main South Line railway, State Highway 1 and the Southern Scenic Route...
-Gore
Gore, New Zealand
Gore is a town, surrounding borough, and district in the Southland region of the South Island of New Zealand.-Geography:The Gore District has a land area of 1,251.62 km² and a resident population of...
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
Roxburgh Dam
The Roxburgh Dam is the earliest of the large hydroelectric projects in the southern South Island of New Zealand. It lies across the Clutha River / Mata-Au, some from Dunedin, some to the north of the town of Roxburgh...
110 kV line, which passes a short distance south of the wind farm.
External links
- TrustPower - Mahinerangi Wind Farm information page
- Upland Landscape Protection Society