Project Huriwaka: Power company investigating wind farm site near Taihape

Project Huriwaka would generate enough energy to power up to 100,000 homes. Photo / Bevan Conley

A proposed wind farm development between Taihape and Waiouru has the potential to generate around 800 gigawatt hours of electricity each year – enough to power up to 100,000 New Zealand homes.

Renewable energy developer and generator Manawa Energy (formerly TrustPower) has secured the rights to develop a circa 230-megawatt wind generation plan named Project Huriwaka.

Manawa Energy’s new development general manager Clayton Delmarter said the next phase would involve environmental and stakeholder consultation and obtaining resource consent.

The project is not Delmarter’s first wind farm rodeo, as he has been working in the renewable energy field for more than 20 years and was formerly the development manager for Tilt Renewables, which was the first operator of the Waipipi Wind Farm near Waverley.

“The site for Project Huriwaka spans the Rangitīkei and Ruapehu districts, and there is historical data to support its suitability as it was previously investigated as a suitable location for renewable energy generation,” Delmarter said.

“It is not a densely populated area, and the nearest town is Moawhango, around five kilometres away.”

Delmarter said if the project received the go-ahead, it would take around three years to develop the land and install 50 wind turbines.

Manawa Energy chief executive David Prentice (left) with board chairman Paul Ridley.

Manawa Energy chief executive David Prentice said Project Huriwaka was a well-known and highly regarded site for a potential wind farm.

“It’s exciting news. Project Huriwaka ticks a lot of the big boxes in that we already know it is a high-quality wind resource, has convenient access to transmission, good construction characteristics and is relatively close to significant demand for electricity,” he said.

Prentice said the site had previously been consented for around 50 wind turbines across 47 square kilometres of privately owned rural land.

Prentice said Project Huriwaka was a key initiative in Manawa Energy’s ~970-megawatt pipeline of new, renewable wind and solar development options.

“We know Aotearoa New Zealand needs a huge amount of investment in renewable generation over the coming decades, and projects like this align with our strategy and will ensure we are playing our part in meeting the rising tide of demand for electricity.

“Although it is great to be talking about Project Huriwaka, there is a heap of work still to be done.”

Prentice said the indicative timeline was reliant on the findings of project studies and assessments, feedback from consultations, consenting timelines and market dynamics.

“We have secured the key land access rights and we are now under way with iwi and stakeholder consultation, design, environmental assessments and network connection activity.”