The locations of the three proposed solar farms near Ongaonga. Graphic / NZME
The locations of the three proposed solar farms near Ongaonga. Graphic / NZME
Construction is expected to begin this year on the first of three solar farms planned next to a small Hawke’s Bay township.
Ongaonga in Central Hawke’s Bay is considered a prime spot for solar farms given its flat landscape, good number of sunlight hours and close proximity to a substation.
Three solar farms have been proposed near that township – two have consent (Centralines and SkySolar) and the third is going through the consent process (Helios Energy).
Centralines has now announced a date for construction of its project, with work expected to start in December.
That 35ha solar farm is being built on a Centralines-owned property at 921 Ongaonga Rd and will take about a year to complete.
The project has been boosted by an $8 million loan from the Government’s Regional Infrastructure Fund.
The Centralines solar farm project. Photo / CHBDC
“This is more than just a solar farm, it’s an investment in the future of Central Hawke’s Bay,” Centralines board chairman Fenton Wilson said.
“By generating electricity locally, we’ll improve energy resilience, reduce reliance on remote generation, and support more competitive retail electricity offerings for local households and businesses.
“We’re proud to be driving regional innovation and infrastructure that will benefit our community today, and for generations to come.”
While the Government is lending $8m for the project, Centralines did not confirm how much the entire project will cost, as it is still finalising the design.
The solar farm will generate about 52 gigawatt-hours of power annually, providing enough power for about 9000 “electricity connections”.
About 80-100 jobs are expected to be created during construction.
Centralines is the powerlines and electricity distribution company for the Central Hawke’s Bay region.
Two other solar farms in pipeline
The other companies, Helios Energy and SkySolar, have proposed much larger solar farms near Ongaonga.
Helios Energy wants to build the largest solar farm in the region, which will cover about 239ha of farmland at 126 Taylor Rd (next to Ongaonga Golf Club) if it goes ahead.
It would feature more than 200,000 solar panels, with sheep grazing under and around the panels.
That project is still going through the consent process with Central Hawke’s Bay District Council, and a hearing has been set down from July 22 to July 25 to determine whether to grant or decline that resource consent application.
Meanwhile, SkySolar received consent in 2020 to build a large solar farm at 189 Plantation Rd on the outskirts of Ongaonga.
That 144ha project has hit major delays since then.
SkySolar went into liquidation owing millions of dollars in 2023, putting a question mark over the project.
Liquidator Iain McLennan told Hawke’s Bay Today earlier this year the project was still alive, as parties were interested in buying the consented project to make it happen.
A potential buyer is now at an advanced stage for purchasing the consented solar farm project, the liquidator confirmed this week.
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.
