Waverley Wind farm boss optimistic about future

Deion Campbell is the CEO of Tilt Renewables, the company building the Waipipi Wind Farm near Waverley. Photo / supplied

The first turbines at the new Waipipi Wind Farm will be generating electricity by October, Tilt Renewables CEO Deion Campbell says.

Foundations have been poured for the first three turbines at the coastal wind farm site between Waverley and Patea. Half of the underground electricity network and half of the overhead transmission lines have also been built.

Roading at the site is well under way and turbine components will start arriving at Port Taranaki in two months.

Waipipi is Tilt Renewables' third New Zealand wind farm. The company also owns the Tararua Wind Farm near Palmerston North and the Mahinerangi Wind Farm near Dunedin, which it plans to extend.

It is also making progress on Kaiwera Downs Wind Farm, near Gore.

Construction started at Waipipi last year, and Campbell said Tilt Renewables was excited about opportunities in New Zealand. The country's Climate Change Commission wants all electricity generation to be renewable.

Tilt Renewables develops, owns and operates facilities that generate electricity using wind or solar. It has four operating wind farms in Australia, with more under development and consents for solar generation too.

It was split off from Tauranga-based energy company Trustpower in October 2016, to become an independent developer. It's a New Zealand company, listed on the New Zealand sharemarket and owned by shareholders.

Tilt Renewables' two biggest shareholders are infrastructure investment company Infratil and electricity generator and retailer Mercury. Together they own 85 per cent.

Its head office is in Melbourne, where there are more staff available and better investment opportunities. But significant board meetings are all in New Zealand.

The first 20 years of the Stage 1 Tararua Wind Farm was celebrated on February 13. Photo / supplied

Campbell and others were in Tararua on February 13 to celebrate the 20 years that Stage 1 of the Tararua Wind Farm has been running.

It is New Zealand's largest capacity wind farm, generating 161MW, and was built without subsidy.

"It's one of the best wind farm sites in the world."

The farm's first 48 turbines began operating in December 1999, and Tilt acquired them. They have reached the end of their 20-year "design life" and are still running well.

During the celebration Campbell announced that 103 small turbines at the site will be replaced in the next three to five years by 40 taller, modern turbines that will generate two or three times as much electricity.

Installing them will need new resource consent.

The turbines have been well maintained, and those retired could find Pacific Island buyers.

"There's quite an active secondhand market. Small islands may want them."