Two new solar farms proposed for Taranaki
Taranaki’s place as the energy centre of New Zealand looks to be more secure with planning under way for two massive solar farms in South Taranaki and Central Taranaki.
Ranui Generation, based in Kerikeri, plans to develop 48.56 hectares of farmland on Palmer Rd, near Kaponga, into a solar farm that will contain approximately 70,000 solar panels and generate approximately 30 MW (30,000kw) of electricity to be supplied to the national grid.
It will create enough electricity to power approximately 8000 homes annually and dwarf the nearby 2.1MW Sunergise Kapuni Solar Power Plant, which comprises 5800 solar photovoltaic panels.
Generating enough electricity to power 520 New Zealand homes, Sunergise Kapuni was named the country’s largest grid-connected solar farm when it was commissioned in May 2021.
Ranui Generation also hopes to develop an even bigger solar farm on a 47ha site on Skinner Rd near Stratford.
The 40MW project is being designed and has a target date of mid-2023 to lodge a resource consent application for the project with Stratford District Council, its website said.
South Taranaki District Mayor
Phil Nixon said he welcomed the plans to add more solar capacity to the region’s renewable energy developments.
With the Waipipi wind farm at Waverley and research under way for two offshore wind farms off the South Taranaki coast, the district was already known for its reliable wind.
“I think it is great to see the interest in renewable energy based here in South Taranaki, and Taranaki is the sunshine capital of New Zealand,” he said.
“I would like to see Taranaki remain New Zealand’s energy centre, and through renewable energy, we can. It’s important for New Zealand to transition to a low emissions economy. It’s exciting to see it here in our district as long as it is complimentary to our current industries.”
The South Taranaki District Council’s Environment and Hearings Committee will consider Ranui Generation’s consent applications for Three Stream solar farm at Kaponga, at its meeting in Hāwera tomorrow.
The applicant has received written support in principle from Ngāruahine and a letter of support from Ngāti Manuhiakai Hapū, a report to the committee said.
Construction was expected to take 24 weeks to complete once work begins.
The land is currently a dairy farm, but once the solar farm was built, sheep or other small livestock would graze around them, the report said.
In the report to council on the proposal it said the site was chosen because of the area's high sunshine hours, “with Taranaki having the highest sunshine hours in New Zealand for 2020-2021”, and its proximity to the Kaponga substation.
The project will use trackers that follow the sun as it moves from east to west.
The project would have a 3m wide and 3m high planting strip along the road boundaries to obscure the panels from view.
Ranui Generation is also developing a 30MW solar farm near Kaitaia, which it hopes to complete in 2024, and is in the early stages of designing a 55MW solar project at Tikokino in Central Hawkes Bay.
The company has been approached for comment.
Meanwhile, Hiringa Energy Limited and Ballance Agi-nutirients are still awaiting a Court of Appeal decision on a case brought by Greenpeace against a previous court decision which ruled no errors in law were made regarding the granting of resource consent for a $70 million green hydrogen project at Kapuni.
The project would see four, 206-metre wind turbines established at Kokiri Rd, near Manaia, to generate electricity for the nearby Ballance Agri-nutrients ammonia-urea manufacturing plant to produce hydrogen which will be used to decarbonise fertiliser manufacturing and to fuel heavy transport.