Helios Energy’s $150 million solar farm approved for Hawke’s Bay

An artist's image of the planned Helios Energy solar farm in Ongaonga. Image / CHBDC

Another large solar farm project has been approved for Hawke’s Bay as the region turns to solar-generated electricity.

Hawke’s Bay currently has no commercial-sized solar farms, but that is set to change rapidly.

Helios Energy’s $150 million project on farmland in Ongaonga was granted resource consent on Tuesday, after a decision by an independent commissioner.

It will feature more than 200,000 panels when it is built across about 240ha of farmland at 126 Taylor Rd (near Ongaonga Golf Club).

Helios Energy wants to start construction in 2027 and expects it will take about 12 months. It estimates construction will create about 150 jobs.

It is the fourth solar farm in the wider Hawke’s Bay region to receive consent, and the third to announce a start date for construction in the not-too-distant future.

Helios Energy managing director Jeff Schlichting said the project would feature 204,400 solar panels and provide “a positive legacy for the district”.

What the panels could look like when installed. Photo / CHBDC

“[The solar farm] will generate enough clean, renewable electricity for the equivalent of 29,000 homes each year.

“This is an important contribution toward meeting future energy demand.”

He said the project would cost about $150 million.

At full tilt, the panels will have a maximum height of 2.8 metres.

Sheep would continue to graze around the panels, and he said the project would be “screened by extensive new native vegetation”.

The solar farm will have a 35-year lifespan.

Ongaonga could be surrounded by three solar farms within the next few years. Graphic / NZME

A condition of the project is that, when the panels are decommissioned, any parts that cannot be reused or recycled are to be “disposed of in an environmentally responsible way following industry best practices”.

While the project has resource consent, there are conditions that need to be met before construction can start.

The Helios Energy project is the third solar farm to be proposed next to the small township of Ongaonga in Central Hawke’s Bay. That rural area is flat, receives good sunlight hours, and is close to a substation.

Meanwhile, the largest solar farm planned for the wider region is the enormous Te Rahui solar project at Rangitaiki, alongside State Highway 5, the Napier-Taupō Road, on the border of Hawke’s Bay and Bay of Plenty.

It will be among the biggest solar farms in New Zealand and will have about 700,000 panels across about 1000ha.

Construction on the first of two stages for that project, led by Nova Energy and Meridian Energy, is expected to begin later this year or early next year.

Solar farms proposed for Hawke’s Bay

Centralines, 35ha, Ongaonga: Consent granted and construction to begin later this year or early next year.

Helios Energy, 240ha, Ongaonga: Consent granted and construction to begin in 2027.

SkySolar, 144ha, Ongaonga: Consent granted, though SkySolar Ltd went into liquidation in 2023. The liquidator recently told Hawke’s Bay Today that a potential buyer was interested and the project was still alive.

Meridian Energy and Nova Energy, 1000ha, Rangitaiki: Consent granted and construction to begin later this year or early next year.

Trigpoint Partners, 15ha, Pōrangahau: Resource consent application to be lodged next week for a solar farm on Wilder Rd farmland.

Hawke’s Bay Airport: The airport has plans for a solar farm next to the runway, but has not lodged a resource consent application to date.

These projects have been publicly announced. More solar projects may be in the pipeline.

Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics, including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.