logo
Another Canty solar farm on cards

Another Canty solar farm on cards

Genesis is on track to make a final investment decision midway into next year to spend $110 million on building another large solar farm in Canterbury.
The planned venture in Leeston would have 74,400 solar panels over 111ha.
This follows the power company launching a $104m solar farm with peak generation of 63MWp (Megawatt peak) at Lauriston, also in Canterbury, in a joint venture with FRV Australia last April.
More than 90,000 solar panels on the 93ha site are now generating up to 100GWh (Gigawatt hours) of electricity a year, enough to power nearly 13,000 households.
Leeston would potentially start generating 67MWp, up to 110GWh/pa in 2017.
This could become the company's third-largest solar farm behind proposals to also build more sites at Foxton (80MWp) and Edgecumbe (127MWp).
Genesis said Leeston could be built before the other two sites and all three of them were pending final investment decisions.
Unlike Lauriston, the power company plans to make the full investment in developing Leeston without FRV Australia.
Farmland would be leased for the project.
Chief operating officer Tracey Hickman said consents were in place for the project with designs progressing towards the final investment decision stage.
She said the project could be expected to serve the power needs of 15,700 households.
Genesis was committed to scaling up its solar generation, she said.
"To meet New Zealand's net zero 2050 target, 95% of electricity generation must come from renewable sources, up from 85% today.
"Solar is a good addition to New Zealand's generation mix and when it reaches scale it will play an important role in helping manage supply when hydro levels are low and the wind doesn't blow at windfarms."
She said the company's Gen35 strategy included a target to build 500MW of solar capacity throughout New Zealand.
"The Leeston site will be another step toward achieving that.
"Solar is also the perfect partner to the grid-scale battery we're installing at Huntly Power Station.
"We'll be able to store the equivalent energy generated by our solar farms during the day, and release it at night when demand is high."
The Lauriston site is proving to be a successful solar farm and the company appreciated the community support during its construction, she said.
"We're excited to progress the Leeston site and others we have in our pipeline around the country."
Genesis was continuing to make progress on the Edgecumbe development, lining up early engineering and main contracts as it headed toward a final investment decision later this year.
The solar farm has a targeted operational date of early to mid 2027.
The company's solar farm site in Foxton, near Palmerston North was accepted for inclusion under the Fast-track Approvals Act and would be presented for approval once due diligence was completed.
Many more solar farms throughout the country are on the drawing board, including Waikato's proposed Tauhei Solar Farm, near Te Aroha, between UK's Harmony Energy and First Renewables Ltd, of 202MWp.
Far North Solar Farm Ltd has applied for a land use consent from Hurunui District Council to build a 181ha site in North Canterbury's Waipara.
Submissions will be accepted by residents until July 24 for the publicly notified proposal to put in 250,000 panels generating up to 145MWp, enough to power about 30,000 homes.
Further proposals by the company have included a 450MWp solar development on 670ha near Lake Benmore.
Among others, Helios Energy had put plans on hold to consider community feedback for 560,000 solar panels with the potential to power up to 70,000 homes at a solar farm between Naseby and Ranfurly in Central Otago on 660ha.
tim.cronshaw@alliedpress.co.nz
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Civil contracting future ‘bright', PM Christopher Luxon tells Tauranga conference
Civil contracting future ‘bright', PM Christopher Luxon tells Tauranga conference

NZ Herald

time4 days ago

  • NZ Herald

Civil contracting future ‘bright', PM Christopher Luxon tells Tauranga conference

'Another half a billion dollars worth of local government projects are also getting under way this year, including five projects here in Tauranga,' Luxon told the conference. He said the national infrastructure pipeline showed planned future projects across central and local government, and the private sector, totalling $207b. This was nearly $40,000 per person and $116,000 per household. 'For every $1b of infrastructure investment per year, that generates about 4500 jobs.' He said as work got under way on these projects, there would be 'real jobs and real opportunities' for thousands of Kiwis, and added momentum for economic recovery. 'We have turned the corner and the future for civil construction in New Zealand is bright.' Luxon said this was great news for the civil construction sector. 'We need the work to get done. We need action, we need shovels in the ground.' He did not give details of the five Tauranga projects when asked by the Bay of Plenty Times after his speech and said the Government would talk about these 'in due course'. He said a number of projects in Bay of Plenty were 'on the fast track'. Twelve Bay of Plenty projects have been listed to follow the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024 process. Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford (left), Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at the Civil Contractors Conference. Photo / Kaitlyn Morrell Luxon said growth problems had been challenging for Tauranga. 'It's a region that should do exceptionally well with a Government that wants to streamline the resource management process and get fast-track projects up and running.' Tauranga was a growing economic powerhouse for New Zealand. 'That growth needs to have quality, modern and reliable infrastructure around it as well.' Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced at the conference that half a billion dollars worth of local government projects will be under way this year, including five in Tauranga. Photos / Kaitlyn Morrell Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale addressed the conference and said Tauranga continued to be one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. He said a well-formed regional deal should be a game-changer, not just for the Bay of Plenty but as a model for others across the country. 'We are investing heavily to keep pace with growth.' He said the current long-term plan included $500m in annual capital expenditure for the next 10 years. Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale is looking forward to faster, more efficient consenting for projects. Photo / Alisha Evans 'A significant proportion of this is dedicated to horizontal infrastructure.' He was encouraged by the Government's work to reform the Resource Management Act (RMA). 'Faster, more efficient consenting is something we can all look forward to and it will help bring costs down.' Developments in the Bay of Plenty included the Takatimu North Link, SH29 Tauriko-Ōmanawa Bridge and Te Tumu new housing area in Pāpāmoa East. Drysdale said the SH29 project would unlock industrial land, enable4000 new homes in the medium-term and support about 3000 new jobs. 'Infrastructure is too expensive in this country and we need to find ways of delivering more for less.' Civil Contractors New Zealand (CCNZ) president David Howard said the past year in the infrastructure industry had not been easy. 'I feel it's been a bit of a triple-whammy with central government cutting costs, new regulations coming in and councils rethinking their funding.' He said he remained hopeful that CCNZ had worked hard to get in front of the right decision-makers to explain the industry's needs. 'It's not easy to get Government attention, but we've made progress.' Kaitlyn Morrell is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.

A first timer's guide to buying an EV
A first timer's guide to buying an EV

The Spinoff

time4 days ago

  • The Spinoff

A first timer's guide to buying an EV

With volatile fuel prices and worsening climate change, now could be the time to switch to an EV. But where to begin? Buying a car is a famously head-scratching experience, never mind buying an electric vehicle. There's so much to consider – upfront cost, fuel economy, safety rating, lifestyle needs and so on. With second-hand vehicles, that list gets even longer. Purchasing a vehicle requires not just money, but time to suss out the options and make the right decision. While zero emissions is a big EV drawcard, there are many other perks convincing people to make the switch. If you're interested in buying an EV though, where should you start? Kathryn Trounson is a longtime EV enthusiast and chairperson of Better NZ Trust, which aims to educate and promote EV uptake. She shared her top EV buying tips with The Spinoff. Understanding the running costs Running a regular car comes with familiar costs, petrol prices being one of the most important. Understanding how much an EV will cost you day-to-day though isn't immediately clear. Understanding charging options is key here. Most EV users can rely on the charger their car comes with, Trounson says. These plug into a normal household socket so there's no need for expensive installs or rewiring. Many people charge their EVs overnight this way. If you need a faster charge, wall chargers are available at varying prices. So how much will your power bill increase by? While electricity rates vary by region and time of day, Trounson says most people don't notice a huge increase. Any power bill increase is likely to be much less than accrued petrol saving, and there are special electricity plans on offer for EV owners. Genesis has an electricity plan to support future thinking Kiwi who invest in EVs. It offers discounted electricity rates, and a first-of-its-kind charging partnership with ChargeNet which allows customers to take their home charging rates on the road at any ChargeNet station. Genesis's Energy EV plan * gives customers 50% off their variable day electricity rate from 9pm to 7am, perfect for charging overnight. While the initial cost of an EV might be higher than a petrol car, Trounson says, the lifetime savings of an EV are worth it for many. If you really want to crunch the numbers, this calculator can help. Consider upfront cost Like any other vehicle, Trounson says, you need to consider lifestyle and upfront cost when choosing which car to buy. Petrol cars come in all shapes and sizes for a variety of needs, and ditto with EVs – there are even fully electric utes. Generally speaking though, a bigger battery means a bigger range but a bigger price tag. Luckily, Trounson says, EVs have gotten more affordable in the past few years, even before you take fuel and maintenance savings into account. More competition in the market and improvements in battery technology have pushed prices down. Brand new, fully electric models can now be found at comparable prices to new petrol cars. Don't skip second hand The second-hand EV market is growing, but buying one still requires the same caution you'd use when buying a used petrol car. A key thing to look at here is the car's remaining battery life, often reported as a state of health (SoH) percentage. This number, Trounson says, is often more important than mileage or number of previous owners. While EV batteries do degrade, the rate is slower than you might expect. Most degrade about 1.8 percent per year, and should retain 64 percent of their range after 20 years, although battery health can be affected by factors such as storage conditions and driving style. Trounson recommends sticking to reputable, knowledgeable dealers for used EVs. Helpfully, she notes, cars less than eight years old often have a transferable battery warranty. Be realistic about range How do you choose the right EV for your lifestyle? Lots of people get stuck on range, Trounson says, the distance you can drive on a full charge. Many people find the concept of 'range' to be unfamiliar and offputting. 'An EV tells you in kilometres how far you can go, and you see that number change. When you turn the air conditioning on, or if you were driving into rain, that would reduce the range. But that would reduce the range in an internal combustion car too – it's just that you don't see it. Like anything, it just takes getting used to.' As with petrol cars, terrain, weather conditions and driving style can all affect the range of an EV. But EVs can actually recover some range thanks to features like regenerative charging, where some charge is recovered as the car goes downhill. The right model and associated driving range therefore depends on someone's individual needs, says Trounson, though you might find you need less range than you think. According to the Ministry of Transport, most people drive less than 30 kilometres a day. That figure is based on data from 2014, so our national average may have changed since then. Still, Trounson says that most EVs can handle the short, frequent daily trips that characterise most urban driving patterns. The cheapest available EV, an older, second-hand Nissan Leaf, might only have 50km of range – but that might perfectly suit a student, older person or someone who works from home. Don't forget weekends away Once you've got your head around costs, range and charging you might start to think further afield. Will switching to an EV make road trips trickier? Trounson points out that even lower range EVs can be taken on a weekend trip. Just a few years ago, she says, the New Zealand charging network was still 'in its infancy'. But that's changed drastically. A quick look on the Electric Vehicle Database (EVDB) shows EV charging is now widely available in Aotearoa, even in remote and wild places. It's not just the availability of charging stations that's improved, it's also the charging technology. Old public chargers were slow, which meant long stopovers. Now, most charging stations have fast-charging available getting you close to a full charge in 15 to 30 minutes. And how much does charging on the go cost? This varies but Genesis's EVerywhere plan * lets you take your home rates with you on the road at ChargeNet public charging stations. When to make the switch? Companies are investing heavily into the EV market and prices are likely to continue falling as batteries become better and cheaper. But that doesn't necessarily mean you should buy a new petrol vehicle in the meantime. 'The right time to buy an EV is when your current car is no longer suitable for your needs,' says Trounson. 'If you can afford to, you should buy an EV now. If you can't afford an EV, never buy a brand-new internal combustion engine car, because petrol will go up. 'Nobody who has an EV says they wish they hadn't bought it. Everyone says I wish I'd bought it earlier.'

Auckland's new cemetery dead and buried
Auckland's new cemetery dead and buried

Newsroom

time5 days ago

  • Newsroom

Auckland's new cemetery dead and buried

Auckland Council has withdrawn its bid to forcibly acquire land in west Auckland for its much-needed new cemetery to replace Waikumete – stymied by iwi consultation failures and possible fast-track housing. The council told Land Information NZ and the Environment Court this week it is abandoning its attempt under the Public Works Act to compulsorily purchase land at 1080 State Highway 16 at Reweti, northwest Auckland, for the urgently needed cemetery. A report to Thursday's policy and planning committee says the council expects some public criticism because of the costs it has sunk so far in trying to secure the site, the first choice of 45 on an initial list formed years ago. From a shortlist of five, the council has been trying to buy the land for almost three years. The report, by Taryn Crewe, the council's general manager of parks and community facilities, says there remains an 'extreme shortage' of burial space in the west of Auckland. Waikumete, at Glen Eden, is the country's largest cemetery but has paused sales of adult burial slots for two years. The Reweti and owner Halberd Holdings had first refused to sell, then objected to the mandatory deal under that act, sending the matter to the Environment Court. At the court, local mana whenua groups objected, complaining the council had failed in its duties to consult on the cemetery plan. Federated Farmers also objected. The last straw for the council seems to have been Halberd moving to apply under the Fast-track Approvals Act for a green light to build houses on the land, with backing from the mana whenua groups. The council report says once that was known the council offered to withdraw the application if Halberd declined to seek costs from ratepayers, an offer which was accepted. Officers accept the consultation with mana whenua groups was deficient and say that was not realised until too late, after the Public Works Act compulsory acquisition demand was made. This increased the risk of not securing Resource Management Act approval to enable a cemetery on the land – which had been picked after considering essential cemetery pre-conditions such as soil types, flood plains, gradient, groundwater levels and the proximity of streams and rivers. 'Council staff met with mana whenua over the past few months to try to resolve their objections, but were not successful,' the note to councillors says. 'Taking all relevant factors into account, particularly the good faith relationships with our mana whenua partners, the decision was made not to proceed.' The fact the new land use under a likely Fast-Track Approvals Act application would involve a 'large number' of residential dwellings also weighed on the decision to abandon. As well, delays caused by court action and RMA objections could impact the urgent need for more burial spots in coming years. 'Council staff remain committed to continuing good faith engagement with mana whenua partners and progressing the urgent need to acquire land for cemetery purposes in northwest Auckland.' The report does not say if the other four properties shortlisted back in 2022/23 would still be available and pursued. RNZ reported in March that Waikumete Cemetery had paused the sale of adult burial plots until 2027 – when an additional 800 burial plots are set to be created. It quoted Crewe saying if the Reweti replacement fell over, there were other options. 'If something happens along the way where we weren't able to purchase that particular piece of land, work has been done to identify other areas,' Crewe said. 'But they're not the type of property we want compared to this one, we'd had to go back to the drawing board again and start that process again with other landowners.' He said legal issues had slowed the acquisition of new burial land. 'From the 2022 decision with the committee we hoped we could have progressed things with a willing seller and willing buyer way quicker, but that's just the nature of the process.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store