Meridian Energy, New Zealand’s largest renewable energy power company, is set to begin construction of a new $395 million wind farm located within the Maungaharuru Range in Hawke’s Bay, approximately 35km northwest of Napier.
Featuring 41 turbines that will generate 176 MW of renewable energy, the Harapaki Wind Farm will be New Zealand’s second-largest wind farm and will power over 70,000 average households.
Meridian Energy Chief Executive Neal Barclay said the decision to commence construction now is “a sign of confidence that clean energy infrastructure can deliver strong economic benefits”.
“Renewable generation is an engine of economic growth for New Zealand,” he continued.
“There’s a massive clean energy transformation underway in the New Zealand economy and now is the time to tackle climate action to support Aotearoa accelerate its transition away from fossil fuels.
“We need to move faster to convert our fossil fuel industries to clean energy, convert our transport fleet to electricity and ensure every new industrial development is powered by clean energy.”
He said Harapaki will use advanced wind generation technology from Europe to set new benchmarks for turbine efficiency and sustainable construction practices.
“Our vision is for Harapaki to be New Zealand’s most sustainable wind farm and one that delivers transformative economic growth and advances our goals for climate action,” Mr Barclay concluded.
According to the company’s statement, the construction will take around three years and is expected to create 260 new jobs.
