Report shows wind a major player in electricity future

Turbines at at a wind farm near Palmerston North.

A new report shows wind is a major player in the future of electricity in this country.

The Electricity Commission report highlighted 10 regions around the country which could provide up to 2250 MW of new wind-powered electricity generation capacity by 2016.

Under the scenarios in the report the commission estimated that the installed wind turbine capacity could increase by 10 times the current level in a short period of time.

The regions identified with the most potential for wind energy are Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Hawke's Bay, Manawatu, Wairarapa, Wellington, Marlborough, Otago and Southland.

Chief Executive of the New Zealand Wind Energy Association (NZWEA), James Glennie, welcomed the report saying it clearly showed that wind energy had a major role to play in meeting New Zealand's demand for clean, reliable and affordable electricity.

"There is a large amount of wind generation either being constructed or under consideration. Wind is a new form of generation with different characteristics from the hydro, thermal and geothermal plant which has been the mainstay of the New Zealand electricity system," Mr Glennie said.

"We are delighted that this report has been undertaken. Reports like this demonstrate the enormous potential of wind. They also enable long-term energy planning which is so often missing but which is so vital for the future integrity of the electricity network," he said.

State-owned electricity generator Meridian Energy -- which has just won a controversial resource consent for its Makara windfarm near Wellington -- said yesterday it was eyeing another 10 windfarms.

"Apart from the Makara-project of 210 megawatt (MW), we have so far identified 10 other projects," company spokesman Alan Seay told Danish news agency Direkt.

The $350 million Makara project, with 70 turbines, is currently the nation's biggest.

Mr Seay said that the 10 possible additional sites included the 1000 MW windfarm the company is planning on the Lammermoor Range west of Dunedin.

The Dunedin project would cost more than $2 billion and be the biggest in the southern hemisphere - generating more than Benmore hydro power station - if it went ahead .

Meridian already has three monitoring wind towers in the Lammermoor area.

The largest windfarm currently operating is at Te Apiti in the Manawatu. It was commissioned in November last year, has 55 turbines and produces 90 megawatts of electricity.

- NZPA