Castle Hill Wind Farm consent application preliminary decision

The Hearing Commissioners on the Castle Hill Wind Farm (CHWF) issued their preliminary consent decision today (13 April 2012), indicating consent is likely to be granted for the proposed development. Their decision also recommends further work by Genesis Energy to assess and reduce the project’s visual impacts before a final decision can be issued.

Genesis Energy applied for consent to construct, operate and maintain the wind farm on a large site approximately 20 km east of Eketahuna and Pahiatua, and 20 km north east of Masterton.

The proposal, for up to 268 wind turbines, would provide a potential generating capacity of 858MW making it the largest single wind farm in New Zealand, with the ability to provide electricity equivalent to 370,000 homes.

The preliminary decision indicates support for a 20-year consent term that would give Genesis a 10-year time frame to begin works and a 10-year construction period. The commissioners said that this would ensure works were appropriately staged and would reduce the risk of extensive works occurring at the same time.

The preliminary decision gives an indication of the likely final consent decision, but it is not in itself a decision to grant consent.

According to the Commissioners, the project would provide economic and social benefits at a national and regional scale, as well as boost economic wellbeing at a district and local scale. Benefits include ensuring an additional source of renewable energy is secured.

While acknowledging the significant benefits that may accrue from the project, the Commissioners conclude that adverse effects on the environment from the project as lodged would be more than minor and in some cases significant.

However, they said there was insufficient information to issue a final decision regarding some aspects of the proposal, including both visual impacts on some properties, and works to mitigate those visual impacts.

Their preliminary decision recommends that more needs to be done to reduce the adverse effects of the project on local visual amenity values, particularly for properties and locations within 5 km of the turbine corridor, and especially in relation to properties likely to be significantly affected.

“…the applicant can, and should, better mitigate the site specific impacts of its proposal on nearby properties including those on visual amenity for some properties; and effects on amenity values during construction works.”

The consent would be subject to a wide range of conditions to cover various construction activities (including traffic), earthworks and stream works and, with strengthening in some areas, the project would “be a sustainable use and development of natural and physical resources” under the Resource Management Act.

The commissioners said the preliminary decision would be further refined before a final decision was issued. An additional hearing date could also be needed to resolve some of the outstanding issues.

They said Genesis now had an opportunity to provide more information, including proposing further mitigation for adverse impacts on the visual amenity, to help them make a final decision on the application.

The CHWF consent application is jointly managed by Greater Wellington Regional Council, Horizons Regional Council, Masterton District Council and Tararua District Council.