Meridian Energy's planned Makara windfarm, Project Westwind, has received the green light from the Environment Court. The project has been trimmed by four turbines, to 198 MW, but it will be able to go ahead. So, once again despite the complaints the RMA proves to be no barrier to sensible renewable energy projects - the emphasis placed on them in the Act seems fairly decisive.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
A green light for Project Westwind
Posted by
Idiot/Savant
at
5/15/2007 08:03:00 PM
Labels:
Energy,
Wind
3 comments:
Interesting that Meridian couldn't get a judgement until they complained to the Environment minister. Also interesting that the Environment minister appears to have announced the decision.
Doesn't seem like there is very much separation of powers. Given that, and the long delay, there is a prima facie case to ask whether the Environment court is operating as it should, at lest in this case.
Posted by Anonymous : 5/16/2007 07:46:00 AM
Also the Windfarm may not go ahead as the number of turbines have been reduced significantly from when first proposed.
It took two years to go throught the process and the costs are now higher to go ahead.
All this decision allows if it is still economic Meridian will go ahead. If it isn't then they won't.
Also there may still be legal challenges by the residents.
It still seems nearly impossible in NZ to get a Wind farm anywhere in this country regardless of whether there are residents nearby or not without some group objecting to it.
Posted by Anonymous : 5/17/2007 12:50:00 PM
Anon: It still seems nearly impossible in NZ to get a Wind farm anywhere in this country regardless of whether there are residents nearby or not without some group objecting to it.
Someone will always object. The question is whether the process leads the the "right" outcome (i.e. good projects with low impacts are approved, and stupid ones are told to shove off).
And contrary to your hysteria, I think that the record shows that wind farms don't have much trouble navigating the process. So far there's been one refusal (which may still be appealed), for a project which had a very high impact. Every other wind farm that has been decided so far has won approval.
(As for price changes over the process, if Meridian didn't plan for that and hedge it, then they're stupider than I thought. It's not the government's job to insualte businesses from poor business practices).
Posted by Idiot/Savant : 5/17/2007 12:57:00 PM
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