The Mount Cass Wind Farm is a proposed wind farm to be located east of
Waipara
Waipara is a small town in north Canterbury, New Zealand, on the banks of the Waipara River. Its name translates to "Muddy Water", ''wai'' meaning water and ''para'' meaning mud.
It is at the junction of state highways 1 and 7, 60 kilometre ...
on Mount Cass in the
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour.
...
region of New Zealand. It will comprise up to 70 wind turbines along 7 km of a ridge on Mount Cass.
Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2021.
History
MainPower
MainPower New Zealand Limited is an electricity distribution company, based in Rangiora, New Zealand, responsible for electricity distribution to nearly 42,000 customers in the Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury region north of the Waimakariri R ...
initially applied for
resource consent
A resource consent is the authorisation given to certain activities or uses of natural and physical resources required under the New Zealand Resource Management Act (the "RMA"). Some activities may either be specifically authorised by the RMA or ...
from the
Hurunui District Council
Hurunui District Council ( mi, Ko te kaunihera ā rohe o Hurunui) is the territorial authority for the Hurunui District of New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of ...
in November 2007. In April 2009 the consents were declined on the basis that the site was an outstanding natural feature of national significance.
The decision was appealed to the
Environment Court
The Environment Court of New Zealand ( mi, Te Kōti Taiao o Aotearoa) is a specialist court for plans, resource consents and environmental issues. It mainly deals with issues arising under the Resource Management Act, meaning that it covers a ...
, which granted consent in December 2011. The consent was originally due to lapse in February 2020, but was extended until 2025.
Preliminary work on construction began in December 2019. Work was interrupted in December 2020 by the possible discovery of a colony of critically endangered
New Zealand long-tailed bat
The New Zealand long-tailed bat (''Chalinolobus tuberculatus''), also known as the long-tailed wattled bat or pekapeka-tou-roa (Māori), is one of 15 species of bats in the genus ''Chalinolobus'' variously known as "pied bats", "wattled bats" or ...
s on a nearby property. In April 2021 wildlife monitoring determined that there were no bats present.
Construction is now scheduled to begin in late 2021.
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See also
*Wind power in New Zealand
Wind power constitutes a small but growing proportion of New Zealand's electricity. As of December 2020, wind power accounts for 690 MW of installed capacity and over 5 percent of electricity generated in the country.
New Zealand has abund ...
*List of power stations in New Zealand
This is a list of power stations in New Zealand.
The list is not exhaustive – only power stations over 0.5 MW and significant power stations below 0.5 MW are listed.
Power plants in New Zealand have different generating roles ...
References
External links
Mainpower - Mount Cass Wind Farm informationA Ridge Too Far - Mt Cass Protection Society
Proposed wind farms in New Zealand
Buildings and structures in Canterbury, New Zealand
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