Mercury to build new wind farm near Gore

A $115 million 43MW wind farm will be built by Mercury at Kaiwera Downs south of Gore, expected to start in October and be finished in a year.

The 10 turbines to be constructed as Stage One of the Kaiwera Downs Wind Farm will add enough new renewable power to run 66,000 EVs.

A second tranche of the build will complete the 240MW that has been consented on the site as the transition to a lower carbon economy progresses, says Mercury.

Mercury has executed contracts for the procurement and construction of the wind farm’s first stage which will lift its commitment to new renewable wind generation to almost $600 million since 2019.

This wind farm is part of a significant renewable growth pipeline for Mercury, with several other renewable projects under investigation

“Mercury is committed to supporting New Zealand’s decarbonisation goals and one of the most meaningful ways we can do this is through building and supplying more renewable power. Stage 1 of the Kaiwera Downs Wind Farm is the next cab off the rank in our pipeline of new renewable generation,” says Mercury chief executive Vince Hawksworth.

“This $115m project to build Stage I at Kaiwera Downs comes as we near completion of our $480m Turitea Wind Farm in the Manawatu,” he says, adding that New Zealand needs more renewable generation.

Hawksworth says the initial 10 turbines for Kaiwera Downs will be constructed now, with the ability to swiftly follow with the rest.

Mercury continues to assess commercial conditions as it prepares to proceed with other projects, he explains.

The electricity sector’s investment in new renewable generation has a key role in enabling New Zealand’s transition to a low carbon future, with the country on track for more than 90% renewable electricity in the next three to five years, says Hawksworth.

“The Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan sent a clear signal that collective effort across the electricity sector is needed towards the goal of decarbonising the economy.

“From electrification of New Zealand’s transport fleet to greater electrification of industrial processes, a reliable, low carbon, and affordable electricity system underpins many of our country’s pathways to address climate change.”

Hawksworth says that in under a year Mercury has gone from having no operating wind generation to becoming New Zealand’s largest wind generator.

Vestas will supply the 10 4.3MW V136 turbines (136m rotor, 77m tower, 145m tip height) and maintain the wind farm under a 30-year agreement, while Higgins will undertake the civil balance of plant works with ElectroNet providing the electrical balance of plant works.

PowerNet will construct a new 33kV line to the Gore substation.

The Turitea Wind Farm is scheduled for completion mid-2023 and will be New Zealand’s largest wind farm with enough generation to power about 375,000 EVs or 120,000 households.

Kaiwera will follow in late 2023.

Mercury says that with more than 3.8TWh of committed generation projects set to be built between 2020 and 2024, the electricity sector is demonstrating commitment consistent with Transpower and Climate Change Commission forecasts for future demand (3.2TWh and 3.8TWh of new renewable generation between 2020 and 2025 respectively).