Wind power farm a blot on the landscape, say objectors

By WAYNE THOMPSON

The Auckland region's first wind farm is being opposed by Franklin residents who fear it is the forerunner of a picket fence of giant turbine towers along the west coast.

Genesis Energy is seeking resource consent for up to 19 wind turbines on the exposed weathered hills of the southern Awhitu Peninsula, near Waiuku and Karioitahi Beach.

The state-owned generator's bank of aircraft propeller-like turbines could support up to 25 megawatts of generation - enough to supply 8000 houses.

The Franklin District Council says the resource consent bid will be heard by independent commissioners on June 24.

The wind farm has drawn 262 submissions - 22 in support and 237 opposed.

One opponent is the Waiuku Wind Farm Information Society, which says 600 people have endorsed its submission containing a dozen claims, including possible effects on rural views, tourism, health and horse training and breeding.

Information society chairwoman Lesley Cotter said it was not opposing wind-power but believed Genesis should have picked a more remote site where the sight and noise of turbines would not affect so many people.

She said 7000 people lived in Waiuku 7km away and the district council estimated 500,000 people a year visited nearby Karioitahi Beach.

Mrs Cotter said the turbines would be on a plateau 160 to 180 metres above sea level and would be seen from the beach as well as the rural hinterland.

Mounted on towers, the turbines would be 90m high - taller than the Auckland Harbour Bridge (67m).

She said 90 per cent of the community thought this was unacceptable.

"The community seems to realise that if this one goes ahead there are other sites earmarked and other farms will go along the cliffs right up to the Manukau Heads."

The west coast ridge along North Waikato and Franklin is farmland except for the settlement at Port Waikato and the New Zealand Steel ironsand mine on the Waikato River North Head.

Waikato District Council planning manager Fraser McRae said any structure on the coastal ridge that could be seen from the heart of Raglan would trigger development restrictions and a public hearing of the resource consent.

Franklin District Council said its district plan had no development controls with height restrictions for rural or coastal zoned land on the Awhitu Peninsula.

The council is considering a rural plan change to deal with population growth, with aims and rules to replace the district plan.

Genesis is opposed to parts of the plan change on the grounds that it does not give due importance to wind and solar energy generation in the community.

Its argument is backed by Peter Rensen, a Franklin horticulturist, who says vast areas of the rural and coastal zones could be used for wind energy to help reach the national renewable energy supply strategy of between 19 to 42 per cent by 2012.

Mr Rensen calls for the council to have a different consent process for alternative and sustainable energy proposals so the consents can be fast tracked.

Landscape architect Stephen Brown, who checked the windfarm proposal for the ARC, said the turbine towers would be more visible from the Waiuku side of the hills than the Karioitahi beach side.

He said the issue of visual impact would be more significant if energy companies looked at going northwards up the Awhitu Peninsula towards the Manukau Harbour.

"As you move up the peninsula it becomes more sensitive to that type of change. It has high natural character values - the landscape becomes more spectacular."

The ARC says Genesis Energy should provide details of how it will meet residents' concerns, such as improving the look of turbines and improve the coastal edge with fencing and planting.

Genesis Energy said the Awhitu Peninsula was a reliable source of windpower.

Its proposed layout of turbines was a response to community concerns about visual and noise impacts and to avoid archaeological sites.

The company had undertaken wind monitoring on three sites on the Awhitu Peninsula, said Bruce Cole, its general manager business development.

He said the site for which resource consent was being sought was chosen because of its topography and proximity to the existing electricity network.

Mr Cole said there were no plans to develop the other sites on the peninsula.

Genesis has the Hau Nui wind farm at Martinborough in the Wairarapa. That farm is growing from original seven turbines to 15. They are 42m high.

Meridian Energy spokesman Alan Seay said the company was not looking at the Waiuku area.

It was seeking consent for a test wind farm site in the Far North at Ahipara, southern 90 Mile Beach.

Meridian is building the country's largest wind farm in the Tararua Ranges, near Woodville, Hawkes Bay, to generate 96 megawatts.

Trustpower has 103 turbines at its Manawatu Gorge farm.

ARC heritage director Graeme Murdoch said sites for expansion of windfarming along Auckland's west coast were limited.

"Using our landscape criteria, there are very few sites where we and the community would not be disturbed about."

North of the Manukau Harbour, the Waitakere Ranges were highly forested and visible and from Muriwai along the Kaipara South Head was a low peninsula where windfarms would be easily seen.

Waitakere City Council has strict controls on structures for its sensitive coastal ridges and much of them are in public ownership.

But councils are aware of the Government and energy companies' promotion of windfarms as worthy of expansion and earning carbon credits.

Changes to the Local Government Act, said Mr Murdoch, meant councils had to look at renewable energy resources in the wider context of national energy sustainability, rather than just local effects.

Further applications for wind farms in the region would spark a debate about sustainable "green" energy resources versus outstanding landscapes.

Fact file

What: The Auckland region's first proposed wind farm.

Where: West coast hills, 6km northwest of Waiuku, with average wind speeds of 14km/h.

When: Franklin District Council resource consent hearing on June 24.

Scale: Up to 19 wind turbines, with three blades of 60m diameter, and 90m high, including rotors - taller than the 67m Auckland Harbour Bridge.

Power: Proposed generation output of 15 to 25 megawatts, enough to supply 8000 homes.