Meridian Energy has applied for consent for a huge solar farm at Ruakākā
Meridian Energy has applied for consent for a huge solar farm at Ruakākā
Northland’s renewable energy sector is about to expand further with Meridian Energy seeking resource consent to build a massive solar farm on 200 hectares of land at Ruakākā that could provide almost half of Northland’s energy needs.
Meridian Energy Ltd (MEL) has applied to Northland Regional Council for consents to construct, operate and maintain a solar energy farm, including solar panels, inverters and related electrical infrastructure, and ancillary activities such as earthworks, transmission lines, control buildings and substations, on three sites located at Ruakākā.
The proposal is to establish a solar farm with around 200,000 photovoltaic solar panels. The solar panels will be established across an area of approximately 172ha across the three sites which have a combined area of approximately 200ha. The solar farm will have a capacity of approximately 100-150MW of power.
The MEL farm, likely to cost around $200 million, will add more renewable energy from Northland to go with the Ngāwha geothermal power plant.
Meridian said in its application that the principal benefits from the solar farm would be the production of around 150-200GWh of electricity generation per year and would be capable of providing over half of Northland’s average annual energy consumption.
“Electricity is central to our day-to-day life and there are frequently no substitutes, yet its availability is often taken for granted. Reliable and cost-efficient access to electricity is fundamental to the ongoing progress of both New Zealand and its economy.
“Its supply is also critical to the ongoing operation of communication networks and other infrastructure, as well as the operation of banks, hospitals, schools, and other public and private institutions that service the ongoing social, economic, and cultural wellbeing and health and safety of people and communities.”
The battery farm is capable of storing up to 200 megawatt hours (MWh) of power - enough to power 60,000 households for two hours over winter.
Some of the roughly 61 hectares of solar panels on Lodestone’s huge Kaitāia solar farm that has started supplying power to the national grid last month. It's the largest solar far in the country, but that will soon be surpassed by one it is building near Dargaville and another planned for Ruakākā
Two types of solar arrays or mounting systems have been identified for the solar farm - fixed tilt and single-axis tracking. Either of these installation types may be used for the solar farm, with the final installation type determined during the construction market and detailed design phase of the project.
MEL acknowledged that site preparation for the solar farm will affect the wetlands. The ecological effects of this will be offset by retaining and enhancing the wetland in the southeastern portion of Site 1 and creating a new wetland on Site 3.
If the proposal proceeds to construction following approval from the Meridian Board, a fund would be established for the Ruakākā community with appropriate annual committed funding.
Meridian said it had already consulted with mana whenua Patuharakeke, Te Parawhau and Ngātiwai and cultural impact assessments of the application had been done.
Patuharakeke said regarding potential measures to avoid, remedy or mitigate adverse effects, where an activity results in more than minor adverse effects on the environment, section 5 of the RMA requires that these be avoided, remedied or mitigated.
“For the most part, the proposed methodology for construction of the Ruakākā Energy Park Solar Farm and its outcomes will avoid or mitigate potential ecological, cultural and socio-economic effects on Patuharakeke so that they will be no more than minor.
“This is on the proviso that: Appropriate consent conditions are imposed to ensure the recommendations of the relevant technical reports are implemented; A consent condition is included providing for co-development and further review and adaptive management.
“Notwithstanding this, we have identified that effects on wetlands (and resulting cultural effects) could potentially be greater than minor,” Patuharakeke said.
The full MEL application can be found at nrc.govt.nz.
Mike Dinsdale is the editor of the Northland Age who also covers general news for the Advocate. He has worked in Northland for almost 34 years and loves the region.
