Eketāhuna pop-up informs residents about proposed wind farm

Meridian Energy is proposing to build a wind farm at Mt Munro near Eketāhuna.

Eketāhuna residents got the opportunity to find out more about a proposed wind farm at Mt Munro when the company behind it visited the township.

Meridian Energy opened a pop-up shop in Eketāhuna for a couple of weeks, giving people a chance to talk to those involved with the project and relay any concerns.

Project manager Gene Sams says some of the concerns raised were around noise and visual aspects, as well as traffic movements along a proposed access road.

He says he and the team talked those through with residents.

On the noise aspect, he explained there is a standard that needs to be followed, to a maximum of 40 decibels.

There have been in-depth studies on how much noise the wind turbines can produce.

According to the information, the proposed wind farm will be about 5km from Eketāhuna and will include 20 wind turbines within three privately owned properties, which would continue to be working farms.

It was estimated the turbines would create enough energy to power up to 42,000 homes.

The Bush Telegraph has spoken to one resident who has cited concerns about the proximity of the wind farm to properties in the area.

One resident also raised concerns about people from Meridian visiting properties without providing identification.

The team from Meridian offered an explanation for this, saying those tasked with visiting property owners would have phoned or emailed before the visits.

“We would never just show up,” Gene says.

Some of the team now have business cards so they can provide reassurance to property owners regarding who they are and their purpose.

The project is now at the consent stage, which includes hearings in the Environment Court and discussions with stakeholders, before opening up for public submissions.

Gene says they are waiting for information to come back from the affected councils before they can proceed with the next steps.

He says he believes the project has great merit and is keen to talk to everyone and hear any concerns they may have.

The consent process is expected to take up to four years before it moves on to design, which will take a year.

If it goes ahead, construction could take two to four years.