The Harapaki Wind Farm is a wind farm project in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand. Construction began in June 2021[3][4] and was completed in 2024.[5] As of 2024 it is the second-biggest wind farm in New Zealand.[5]
History
In 2006, Hawke's Bay Wind Farm Ltd was granted resource consent for a 75 turbine, 225 MW wind farm at Titiokura.[6] The same year Unison Networks was granted consent for a 15 turbine, 45 MW development. Both consents were upheld by the Environment Court in October 2006.[7] A proposed expansion of Unison's project[8] was rejected by the Environment Court in 2009.[9][10]
In 2010 Hawke's Bay Wind Farm Ltd was purchased by Meridian Energy.[11] Unison's consent was purchased in 2011, and the sites combined.[12]
In August 2019 Meridian sought interest from potential contractors for the wind farm's construction.[12] Construction was expected to begin in 2020, but was delayed due to the possible closure of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter.[13] In February 2021 Meridian announced that construction would begin later that year, and would take approximately three years.[14][15] Site preparation began in mid-2021.[16] The first turbines arrived in Napier in March 2023[17] and transportation of components to the wind farm site began in July 2023 when State Highway 5 had been sufficiently repaired following the damage caused by Cyclone Gabrielle.[18]
The wind farm began generating in November 2023[19][20] and reached full capacity in July 2024.[5]
Location
The wind farm is built on the Maungaharuru Range, near the Titiokura Summit, about 34 km northwest of Napier Airport.[6] The altitude of the range is approximately 1300 metres.
Operation
The wind farm uses 41 Siemens Gamesa 4.3 MW turbines, measuring 85 m (279 ft) from base to hub with a rotor diameter of 120 m (394 ft). Electricity is supplied to the national grid via a new substation on Transpower's Redclyffe-Whirinaki-Wairakei 220 kV transmission line.[21]
^ ab"Fact sheet: August 2007"(PDF). Hawke's bay wind farm ltd. August 2007. Archived from the original(PDF) on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
