Meridian Energy and Trustpower are planning to transform these spectacular, lonely landscapes into large industrial wind estates
Their plans will mean that 276 turbines, some (160 metres) almost as high as the Restaurant on Aucklands’ Sky Tower, will overpower those landscapes.
Meridian ’s Project Hayes and TrustPower’s Mahinerangi Windfarm will require the construction of 200 km of roads and the bulldozing and dispersal of 3.6 million cubic metres across presently unspoiled slopes and gullies.
The resulting scars on this landscape will endure for hundreds of years.
A web of transmission pylons and overhead cables will add further distressing visual pollution.
These two projects will dominate views from Otago’s Hwy 1 south of Dunedin, Hwy 85 through Ranfurly and from elevated vantage points such as Cardrona Skifield.
These ‘think big’ schemes are promoted as being in the ‘national interest’ by ensuring security of supply, The claim is disputable simply because wind is an unpredictable and intermittent resource. Particularly so in Central Otago’s calm winters when the national demand for electricity is at a peak. No wind – no power!
Wind energy is useless unless it is balanced against actual demand; it cannot be stored. Meridian is silent about how peak power demand will be met when the wind doesn’t blow. (Central Otago’s lakes simply cannot store more water than their built capacity).
If built, Project Hayes will, “be the largest wind farm in the world”, estimated to cost more than two billion dollars. Despite this enormous investment, international experience has shown that Project Hayes will operate at maximum output for less than one third of its life.
Located far from consumers, up to 30% of Project Hayes electricity generation will be lost during transmission to the North.
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