A $395 million wind farm north of Napier will create 260 jobs, but will go ahead without the full support of local iwi.
Meridian Energy plans to begin construction of the Harapaki Wind Farm later this year. No start date has been revealed.
Local iwi had opposed the construction of the wind farm on grounds that included concerns it was on land that included culturally significant sites.
However, the iwi has chosen to take a damage control approach and work with Meridian, after realising it could invest significant resources fighting the farm, with no guarantee of the outcome.
The Harapaki Wind Farm project emerged from two separate proposals for the Maungaharuru Range project, 35km northwest of Napier and was first mooted more than 15 years ago.
It will feature 41 turbines generating 176 MW of renewable energy – enough to power more than 70,000 average households.
First published by Hawke’s Bay. Click here to read the full article.