Three wind farms and nine solar panel projects to be put to a consenting panel for fast-track approval under emergency law

A panel of experts will consider consents for three proposed wind farms in Auckland, Manawatu, and Southland as part of a fast-track resource consent process. 

The three farms have the potential to cut about 150 million kilograms of carbon emissions, generate 419 megawatts of electricity at peak output, and create up to 840 construction jobs.

The largest of the three was Contact Energy’s proposed Southland Wind Farm east of Wyndham, which would operate 55 wind turbines and generate 300 Mw at peak output. 

Another 18-turbine wind farm would be in Waiuku—across the Manukau Harbour from Auckland Central—and would produce 80 Mw at peak output.

Finally, NZX-listed company NZ Windfarms has applied to operate nine turbines at the Te Rere Hau Wind Farm on sites south east of Palmerston North. It would generate 39 Mw at peak output.

Megan Woods, Minister for Energy, said they would generate about as much electricity as the Clyde Dam. 

“In comparison, New Zealand’s third largest hydroelectric dam at Clyde produces about 432 Mw. Generating the same amount of electricity using fossil fuels would create about 150 million kilograms of CO2 emissions,” she said in a press release. 

The fast-track consenting process was a temporary measure created in the COVID-19 recovery legislation, and has been used to accelerate various Government priorities.

David Parker, Minister for the Environment, said the fast-track process will become permanent in the the Natural and Built Environments Bill that will become law this month.

“Fast track reduced consenting time by an average of 18 months per project, saving infrastructure builders time and money,” he said. 

“Retaining the fast-track consenting process will be crucial to reducing emissions and improving our economic security by increasing domestic renewable energy generation”. 

The National Party have also promised a much faster consenting process for clean energy projects, aided by a national policy statement. 

Solar panels

The Government has also fast-tracked nine solar power projects, which could generate two and half times the output of Clyde Dam if approved. 

“If approved, the nine solar projects will add 1,147 megawatts of power to the national grid at peak output – almost three times the output of the 432 Mw Clyde Dam,” Parker said. 

Woods said allowing renewable electricity generation and transmission to be built would help New Zealand meet its domestic and international carbon emission targets.

The Government’s goals are for half of all energy needs to be met by renewable energy by 2035, and for 100% of energy generation to be renewable by 2050.

Meanwhile a veteran energy expert is sounding a note of caution about this announcement.   

Greg Sise of the Dunedin consultancy Energy Link thinks having more wind farms will not address the electricity system's biggest challenge right now. 

That challenge is the problem of intermittency when the wind stops blowing and the difficulty that systems like the Huntly power scheme have in providing back up. 

This problem was described in forthright language by Transpower in May and again a month later. 

"The wind farms help you with dry years and getting to 100% renewable electricity," says Greg Sise. 

"But they are obviously not going to help you meet peak demand, at least not reliably.

"That is pretty much a given."  

There is an extra problem with the fact that fast-tracking resource consent does not mean resource consent will necessarily be given.

And even then, the consented wind farms might not be built, if the economics do not stack up. 

Several commentators have noted that the chance that the Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme will be built is disincentivising alternative renewable schemes.

That is because the scale of Lake Onslow's output would overwhelm demand from other sources.