Generating opportunity

PKW’s diversification strategy is gaining considerable momentum with the announcement of a wind farm to be built on Incorporation land.

Waipipi Wind Farm will see 31 turbines erected on a 980-hectare site on the Taranaki coast around eight kilometres south-west of the Waverley township.

The project led by Tilt Renewables, who will be responsible for the construction and operation of the renewable energy site, is being supported by five landowners - four private and PKW itself.

“This is a very exciting partnership for us as it is our first foray into the energy generation sector,” says Joe Hanita, PKW’s Chief Financial Officer. “Strategically, it ticks a great many boxes for us as it represents an alternative, environmentally sustainable use for our ancestral lands that will give us a solid return for minimal outlay for generations to come.”

The agreement ensures PKW a percentage of the revenue generated by the turbines located on its whenua for the next 50 years. Once the construction period has been completed, the footprint on the farm is relatively small and the land will still be able to be used for grazing, providing a double-income stream for the Incorporation.

“The land currently is not particularly productive as it was mined for iron sand and pasture growth is suboptimal so the wind farm is a real win-win,” says Joe. “This partnership is a very good example of how creating scale creates opportunity and we are delighted that, after nine years in the making, we have reached such a positive outcome.”

The farm will see thirty-one 130-metre high turbines on top of 95-metre towers built and connected to an 11 kilometre 110 kiloVolt overhead transmission line to feed the generated electricity into the national grid. Construction is set to begin in October once an upgrade of the site access roads has been completed. It will generate 455 gigawatt hours (GWh) each year, which is enough to power 65,000 homes.

During the planning and approval phase of the project, several transmission line routes were investigated, with Tilt Renewables undertaking extensive consultation with local iwi, landowners and communities who may be impacted. Environmental and safety considerations were also a priority before the final route and design of the transmission line, which will take 12 months to build, was granted resource consent in 2017.

Tilt Renewables operates renewable energy generation assets across Australia and New Zealand which includes 322 turbines across seven wind farms. They own and operate New Zealand’s largest wind farm, the Tararua Wind Farm in Palmerston North, and the Mahinerangi Wind Farm in Otago.

A Community Consultative Group has been established to facilitate information flow between the community and Tilt Renewables during the construction phase so any issues can be addressed and resolved. A community fund and benefit programme will be set up once the farm begins operating.

“Tilt Renewables asked local iwi Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi to gift a name for the farm which has in turn reconnected the PKW whenua to an identity,” says Joe. “This partnership is bringing so much benefit in so many different areas and PKW is proud to be part of it.”