KEY POINTS:
The windiest continent is about to become the world's most southerly windfarm as construction starts on a project to supply power to New Zealand and United States research stations in Antarctica.
The windfarm, overlooking New Zealand's Scott Base, is expected to reduce combined fuel consumption by up to 500,000 litres of fuel a year, a saving of 11 per cent, and to cut annual CO2 production by 1242 tonnes. Diesel generators currently provide heat and electricity to the bases, and Antarctica New Zealand's manager of Antarctic support, Iain Miller, said the rising cost of fuel had made a switch to renewable energy more urgent.
He said by February 2010 the diesel generators would be only augmenting the power provided by the turbines, which would generate 87 per cent of Scott Base's electricity needs and 15 per cent of US Antarctic Programme's McMurdo Station.
Sharing power with neighbouring McMurdo would hold up New Zealand's end of the bargain in joint logistical support between the two nations.
"This has been a collaborative effort between the US and New Zealand. We operate under a kind of barter system, and it's about balancing our relationship with the US because we use a lot of their resources," said Mr Miller.
A joint project between Meridian Energy and Antarctica New Zealand, the three 330kW, $10 million turbines will be installed on a blustery site called Crater Hill.
"There were only two or three spots that were suitable, and the wind at Crater Hill is very good ... [it] comes straight across the Ross Ice Shelf so it's travelling along a nice flat surface."
Mr Miller said there were unique challenges to building in Antarctica. "Obviously you can't go round to Placemakers for more bolts, so there's a lot of planning involved. It's also quite different to windfarms in New Zealand in that you plug a turbine into a national grid, whereas we need special equipment to smooth out the energy flows."
Meridian Energy project manager Scott Bennett said the key challenge for the crews was dealing with temperatures ranging from minus 37C to plus 7C, with an average of minus 20C. They will be working from next month to February 20.
