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Largest wind farm in the Southern Hemisphere, first in New Zealand

Best wind conditions

Forty-eight 660-kW wind turbines will go online in New Zealand during the next year. Each will have a large rotor 47 m in diameter. The wind farm will be located on the more northern of New Zealand's two main islands, in a hilly area known as the Tararua Ranges. The area is blessed with some of the best wind conditions in the world; wind speeds at some locations there can exceed 11 m/s. So, the park's annual electricity production is expected to be almost twice as large as those of typical European sites. The wind farm will be the largest in the southern hemisphere, with a capacity equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of more than 25,000 households. The project will cost US$ 25 million.

Milestone - No subsidies

Vestas - Danish Wind Technology, the supplier of the turbines, believes that this project could constitute a milestone in the development of wind power, which thus far has been accused of only being viable with subsidies. 'The project proves that our new turbines are so effective that preferential treatment of wind power may not be necessary where the wind conditions are adequate. In this project, wind power competes on even terms with conventional power production. The project is not subsidised by government funds,' says Tom Petersen of Vestas.

Information:
Vestas, Smed Hansens Vej 27, 6940 Lem, Denmark, Ph: +45 9734 11 88, fax: + 45-97-341484,
http://www.vestas.dk.

New Zealand's only wind turbine installed in 1993 in Wellington. The successful Vestas 225-kW turbine is a symbol and tourist attraction of the town. It paved the way to the order of the 48 600-kW Vestas turbines recently. - Photo: Vestas.