KAIWERA DOWNS WIND FARM. November 2023 Newsletter.
WELCOME.
Collectively we have:
Welcome to the November 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
• shifted 180,000 cubic metres of earth, within the site avoiding long hauls to dispose off site • poured 7000 tones of concrete • used 440 tonnes of reinforcing • repurposed 90% of rock into 6.5 kilometres of roading • installed 6500 meters of cabling
STAGE 1 PROJECT MISSION COMPLETE
• constructed 18kms of overhead lines to the Gore substation.
Stage 1 of the Kaiwera Downs Wind Farm project is now complete. The 10 turbines on the hill are generating 147GWh, enough renewable energy to power over 20,000 households or 66,000 EVs to the National Grid each year.
ALAN’S TURBINE.
Construction of the project, which began October 2022, has been completed under budget and to schedule.
STAGE 1 KEY PROJECT FACTS. Wind turbine power
Vestas V136 - 4.3MW
Tower height
77m
Blade height
145m
Rotor diameter
136m
Transmission line
18km of 33kV overhead transmission on monopoles
• transported 90 components from Port of Bluff to Kaiwera.
We’ve been talking with some members of the community for over 15 years and we’ve built strong relationships over this time. At the commissioning event for the wind farm, special mention went to Alan Dickie who was an enthusiastic supporter of this project, but sadly never saw it come to fruition. We are proud to have Turbine 1 named ‘Alan’s Turbine’ in memory of a clever farmer and fellow turbine enthusiast.
PROJECT STATUS. Nearly 400 people have been inducted onto site during this project, and almost 140,000 hours worked. A huge thank you to our teams on the ground and our delivery partners Vestas, Powernet, Electronet, Higgins and all their subcontractors, and to Transpower.
Valerie Dickie next to her husband Alan’s turbine.
For more information, or to provide any feedback, please visit: mercury.co.nz/kaiweradowns or email: kaiweradownswindfarm@mercury.co.nz
THANK YOU TO OUR NEIGHBOURS.
WHAT NEXT.
Thank you for engaging with us and keeping the conversation going. Special shout-out to the Community Consultative Group for coming to site for our regular meetings – often in not-soidyllic conditions – to talk about what this wind farm will mean.
Mercury is actively considering its next renewable projects, including stage two of Kaiwera Downs which is near Final Investment Decision. This larger second stage of this project would bring the total site capacity to 230MW.
Thanks to other community groups who arranged to visit or who called us for a chat. We listened to all your feedback, and thank you for your courteous welcome to your part of the country.
We’ll be able to share more information about Stage Two (KD2) in the future.
Mercury will set up an annual community fund once the second stage (full wind farm) is operating. In the meantime, a mini-fund of $10,000 for community projects near the wind farm will open early next year. We’ll update our website nearer the time or if you would like to recieve an email about this fund and other updates, please let us know by emailing the address or by visiting our website listed at the bottom of this page.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. Once Stage Two construction commences, we will re-establish a Community Consultative Group for information flow between Mercury and the community. This will be one way to face-to-face discuss the construction and on-going operation of the Kaiwera Downs Wind Farm, and look at ways to address any concerns. We’ll call for registrations of interest to join the Community Consultative Group closer to the time.
Some of your Mercury team: Matt Tolcher (Head of Generation Delivery), Stu Davie (Site Manager), Stew Reid (Project Manager), William Meek (Chief Financial Officer), Lin Wenn (Program and Projects Coordinator), Katy Scoullar (Community Engagement Manager), Vince Hawksworth (Chief Executive). We were all stoked.
For more information, or to provide any feedback, please visit: mercury.co.nz/kaiweradowns or email: kaiweradownswindfarm@mercury.co.nz
MCY00001_1223
COMMUNITY SUPPORT.