KAIWERA DOWNS WIND FARM.
May 2023 Newsletter.
WELCOME.
Welcome to the May edition of our newsletter, keeping you up to date with what we’re doing up on the hill. Please forward this to anyone who might be interested.
They can join our distribution list for future updates on kaiweradownswindfarm@mercury.co.nz
The project broke ground last spring and since then our teams have been making great progress. We’re on track!
THE STAGE 1 PROJECT.
Stage 1 of the Kaiwera Downs Wind Farm project is located approximately 15km south-east of Gore. The wind farm will comprise of 10 4.3-megawatt wind turbines and will be connected to the local grid via an 18-km 33kV transmission line at the Gore Substation.
PROJECT STATUS.
To date we have:
• All off-site road works between the port and site have been completed
• Constructed approx. 6km of access track
• Poured 10/10 wind turbine foundations
• Laid 6 km of internal cabling between turbines
• Installed 33kV switch-room
• Installed 33kV connection between the site and Gore Substation
Construction well underway on site
STAGE 1 KEY PROJECT FACTS.
Installed capacity 43MW
Annual production 148 GWh/yr
Wind turbine power Vestas V136 - 4.3MW
Number of turbines 10
Tower height 77m
Blade height 145m
Rotor diameter 136m
Transmission line 18km of 33kV overhead transmission on monopoles
Construction time frame
Approximately 13 months
• Over the coming months civil and electrical works will ramp down and the focus will be on wind turbine delivery and installation
• The project is on track to have the first wind turbine installed at the end of May 2023
Concrete pour of the turbine foundation.
For more information, or to provide any feedback, please visit: mercury.co.nz/kaiweradowns or email: kaiweradownswindfarm@mercury.co.nz
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
Mercury is focused on engaging with the community to ensure that there is transparent and open communication.
A Community Consultative Group has been established and is made up of different representatives from within the community. The objective of the Consultative Group is to facilitate information flow between the Mercury and the community and will be an on-going point of contact for the community.
The functions of the Consultative Group shall also include acting as a forum for relaying community concerns about the construction and on-going operation of the Kaiwera Downs Wind Farm to the Mercury team, developing acceptable means of addressing (where possible) and managing those concerns, and reviewing the implementation of measures to resolve and manage community concerns.
GETTING THE GEAR – HERE!
The huge pieces that will be assembled in to build each turbine have been delivered to South Port, including 67m turbine blades and loads as heavy as 75 tonnes.
McNulty’s are driving from Bluff to the wind farm from mid May onwards. The huge size of the components means they’ll travel different routes: all will go through Invercargill, but the blades will travel through Edendale while the towers and nacelles will travel through Gore due to the weight of the loads.
COMMUNITY CONSULTATIVE GROUP.
Registrations of interest to join the group can be lodged on the Mercury Kaiwera Downs Wind Farm website or scan the QR code above: mercury.co.nz/why-mercury/renewable-energy/ wind-generation/kaiwera-downs-wind-farm or by emailing: kaiweradownswindfarm@mercury.co.nz
We have scheduled truck movements as far as possible during the early hours to minimise traffic disruption and (starting mid May and complete in June).
For more information, or to provide any feedback, please visit: mercury.co.nz/kaiweradowns or email: kaiweradownswindfarm@mercury.co.nz