Welcome to LiveWire - the Greenpeace Aotearoa NZ weblog.
September 3, 2008
Dismay at wind farm move
By Bruce Holloway - Waikato Times - Friday, 29 August 2008
Councils are opposed to Government plans to fast-track Contact Energy's application to build a gigantic $1 billion wind farm along the isolated Te Akau coast.
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Posted at 12:08 PM
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September 3, 2008
N.Z. to Expedite Ruling on Contact Energy Wind Farm
By Gavin Evans
Aug. 27 (Bloomberg) -- New Zealand's government will expedite a ruling on whether Contact Energy Ltd. can build a NZ$1 billion ($700 million) wind farm on the North Island.
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Posted at 11:58 AM
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September 3, 2008
Study shows low price of integrating wind power
Monday April 28, 2008
By Brian Fallow – The New Zealand Herald
The costs of integrating wind power into the electricity system are relatively low, a study has found.
The study was headed by Professor Goran Strbac of Imperial College London and commissioned by Meridian Energy. It was not concerned with the cost of building and operating wind farms or of any additional transmission investment needed to connect them to the national grid.
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Posted at 11:33 AM
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September 3, 2008
More power from wind
The Press, Christchurch, 04/07/2008
Wind energy provided 2.2 per cent of total electricity generation last year, figures from the Ministry of Economic Development reveal.
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Posted at 11:29 AM
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September 3, 2008
Mighty River asks Govt to call in new wind farm scheme
State-owned Mighty River Power is asking Government to fast-track its application to build a 131-turbine wind farm near Palmerston North.
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Posted at 11:08 AM
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August 27, 2008
Govt. calls in Raglan wind farm decision
Environment Minister Trevor Mallard says he intends to call in Contact Energy's proposal for a 180-turbine wind farm near Raglan to be considered by an independent board of inquiry.
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Posted at 5:13 PM
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July 20, 2007
North Canterbury wind farm proposed
By The Press
Resource consents for a wind farm in North Canterbury are expected to be lodged with the Hurunui District Council next month or early September.
MainPower wants to build the farm on a 3km ridge running north-east from the summit of Mount Cass, 6km east of Waipara.
It could be generating power by late 2009 to between 4000 and 10,000 homes, depending on its size and turbine selection.
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Posted at 5:29 PM
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July 14, 2007
Meridian denies expansion plan
By David Williams, The Press
Meridian Energy has strenuously attacked a suggestion that it has a secret expansion plan for its proposed $2 billion Central Otago wind farm. It insists that is not the case.
The controversial Project Hayes – to erect 176 wind turbines on the Lammermoor Range, 30km south of Ranfurly – has been opposed by All Black Anton Oliver, poet Brian Turner and artist Grahame Sydney. Each turbine will be 160 metres tall.
Meridian says the farm was unmatched in New Zealand and could save more than a million tonnes of CO2 emissions each year – the equivalent of taking 296,000 cars off the road.
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Posted at 5:35 PM
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July 10, 2007
NZ Company Launches First Wind Turbine for Rural Customers
New Zealand start-up EREC Ltd launches its first wind turbine for rural customers
Press Release: Energy Recovery Engineering and Construction
This week, New Zealand start up Energy Recovery Engineering and Construction Limited (EREC) launched its first prototype wind turbine designed to bring affordable and renewable energy to rural New Zealand. The new 11 kilowatt wind turbine was erected in Hukerenui, Northland. It is designed specifically for farmers and people in remote locations to offset or ultimately eliminate the effects of rising rural electricity prices.
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Posted at 10:00 AM
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June 28, 2007
Home wind turbine cuts power bills
By NZ Herald
Homeowners could soon get part of their power supply from a small wind turbine fixed on their roof, if a power company's trial shows potential.
The electricity distribution company Vector yesterday began the trial at Waitakere City Council, where a micro wind turbine has been installed on the roof of the civic centre from where it will feed electricity directly into the building.
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Posted at 5:45 PM
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June 28, 2007
Council Decision Serious Blow To Motorimu Wind Farm
Palmerston North wind decision not excusable
Palmerston North Regional Council announced yesterday that they would only give partial consent to the construction of a new wind farm near Motorimu. Although the original plan for the wind farm included 127 wind turbines the council Commissioners have only given approval to 75. Christine Bowen, a spokeswomen for Allco, the developers of the wind farm, said that the decision came as a great disappointment. Allco is now considering whether to appeal against the decision in the Environment Court or to go ahead with constructing the smaller wind farm.
The commissioner's decision against the farm has been sharply criticized by the head of the NZ Wind Energy Association, Fraser Clark. Mr Clarks says the Commissioners cannot escape the reality that their decision has lowered New Zealand’s capacity for sustainable electricity generation.
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Posted at 4:59 PM
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June 14, 2007
Critic Slams All Black over campaign against wind farm
By New Zealand Herald.
A wind power lobby group has hit back at All Black Anton Oliver over his campaign against a South Island wind farm. In a statement today, the Wind Energy Association condemned his comments as a "shrill" attack and said that few people would be swayed by his comments.
Continue reading "Critic Slams All Black over campaign against wind farm"
Posted at 6:17 PM
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May 18, 2007
Revenge of the Pukeko
That young Pukeko we all know and love from the idiot box provides an alternative view of the TV ad promoting coal hungry SOE Genesis Energy, revealing the dirty secret beneath the slick PR of the ad campaign.
Posted at 11:06 AM
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May 17, 2007
Greenpeace applauds West Wind outcome
Auckland, New Zealand — Greenpeace today applauded the Environment Court's decision to approve a major wind farm project near Wellington. Greenpeace supported this project and joined the appeal in the Environment court on the basis of its significance in helping New Zealand reduce greenhouse pollution.
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Posted at 11:26 AM
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April 17, 2007
Environment Court declines wind farm application
In an Environment Court decision released yesterday, an application by Unison Networks to establish a 37 turbine wind farm in the vicinity of the Te Waka Range has been declined. Hastings District Council granted the application to Unison after a month of hearings in May 2006. The application was in addition to the 90 turbine wind farms already approved by the Environment Court in the vicinity of State Highway 5 and the Titiokura Saddle. In its decision the Environment Court said it could not agree with the Council on the degree of adverse landscape effects in particular.
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Posted at 5:52 PM
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March 29, 2007
Meridian denies rumours about Makara wind farm
State-owned Meridian Energy has denied a newspaper report it was considering pulling the plug on its planned windfarm project at Makara, near the Cook Strait coast west of Wellington. "I'm not considering pulling the plug. That is quite wrong," chief executive Keith Turner told Radio New Zealand. "Secondly, it is quite wrong to say this project may not go ahead. We are quite confident that it will go ahead."
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Posted at 6:51 PM
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February 22, 2007
New Zealand's newest wind turbines feel the breeze
NZWEA
Construction at NZ's two newest wind farms, White Hills in Southland and stage 3 of the Tararua Wind Farm in the Manawatu is now well underway with many of their new turbines erected and getting their first exposure to NZ's winds. Both projects will be complete within the next few months, nearly doubling NZ's wind generation capacity to a total of 321 MW - enough electricity to supply over 140,000 typical households. Significant potential remains for future wind farm projects, with wind providing less than 2% of NZ's total electricity demand.
Posted at 6:35 PM
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January 12, 2007
TrustPower to proceed with wind farm in Australia
A majority NZ-owned company, Trustpower, is now expanding its business to Australia.
TrustPower today announced it would start constructing a $200 million wind farm in South Australia's mid-north in April, which it said would be its Australian beachhead. The company said plans had been finalised for the construction of 42 wind turbines on the Hummocks and Barunga Ranges west of Snowtown, 170km north of Adelaide.
Continue reading "TrustPower to proceed with wind farm in Australia"
Posted at 6:23 PM
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December 25, 2006
Wind Capacity Will Double in 2007
Greenpeace is delighted to note that, due to the construction of several major wind farms, such as White Hills and Tararua, wind capacity in NZ will double during 2007. This increase in renewable energy generation is a vital first step in finding a solution to the climate change crisis.
Continue reading "Wind Capacity Will Double in 2007"
Posted at 5:55 PM
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December 6, 2006
Wellington Regional Council Awards Tender for Wind Farm to UK Developer
By New Zealand Wind Energy Association
The Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) has announced the successful tender for the Puketiro wind farm site and has surprised many by awarding the development rights for the site to a developer new to the New Zealand market. Renewable Energy Systems (RES) of the UK headed off a field of 6 other companies, including established generators Meridian Energy, Contact Energy Ltd, Mighty River Power Ltd and Genesis Energy. Though new to NZ, RES have constructed over 1200 MW of wind energy capacity worldwide and are currently developing a project in Australia . RES will now establish an office in Wellington and commence development activities towards the submission of a resource consent application, expected in 2008.
Posted at 6:11 PM
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November 17, 2006
Blame Canada
Posted at 9:15 AM
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November 3, 2006
Heatwave FM - Climate Rescue Radio
The revolution will not be televised , but you may very well hear it on the wireless!
Heatwave FM out of Auckland, New Zealand goes to air this weekend to cover activities all over the world on the Global Day of Action on Climate Change (Nov 4).
We'll be broadcasting 24/7 starting on Saturday morning NZ time - so tune in and keep up to date with the action!
There's a sneak preview and a live steam already at
You can find out what is happening near you at
http://www.globalclimatecampaign.org
Posted at 10:06 AM
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October 2, 2006
Windflow Technology opens new wind farm in the Manawatu
The first stage of the Te Rere Hau wind farm, situated off North Range Road on the Tararua ranges approximately 11 km east of Palmerston North, consists of five 500 kW turbines. When complete Te Rere Hau will have 97 turbines with a capacity of 48.5 MW, enough to power over 18,000 local households. By using New Zealand made Windflow 500 turbines, over 90% of the expected project cost will stay in the country. Te Rere Hau is owned and operated by NZ Windfarms Ltd.
Posted at 6:37 PM
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September 30, 2006
Green My Apple Steve
Apple knows more about "clean" design than anybody, right? So why do Macs, iPods, iBooks and the rest of their product range contain hazardous substances that other companies have agreed to abandon? A cutting edge company shouldn't be cutting lives short by exposing children in China and India to dangerous chemicals. That's why we Apple fans need to demand a new, cool product: a greener Apple. And that's why Greenpeace has created www.greenmyapple.org - So you can do something about it! find out more here
Posted at 9:41 AM
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September 18, 2006
Wind dream true at last
SATURDAY , 16 SEPTEMBER 2006
By Paul Gorman
He had a dream. Yesterday it came true.
Five hundred metres up on a Manawatu ridge blasted by 45 knots of
screaming westerly, Geoff Henderson's dream of generating
commercial-scale electricity from New Zealand-made turbines finally
came true.
Continue reading "Wind dream true at last"
Posted at 2:00 PM
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