Meridian Energy's wind farm almost finished despite obstacles

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A section of the Harapaki wind farm in Hawke’s Bay.
Photo: YouTube / Meridian Energy

Meridian Energy’ s Harapaki wind farm will be completed much faster than expected with full commissioning expected by mid-winter.

The renewable energy company said the project would be completed inside the $448 million capital budget and was already producing more than 60 percent of its full power capacity of 176 megawatts (MW).

“The project has certainly had its share of challenges, from Covid to multiple major weather events, and it’s taken an amazing team effort to almost get us back to our original completion date,” Meridian chief executive Neal Barclay said.

The target date for full commissioning was revised last year to September 2024 after Cyclones Hale and Gabrielle disrupted the site development as well as the state highway (SH5) transport route for components from Napier Port to the wind farm site.

A convoy delivers some of the components to the site.
Photo: YouTube / Meridian Energy

When completed, Harapaki will be the country’s second largest wind farm, generating enough electricity to power most of Hawke’s Bay.

“We are continually looking to learn more and lift the bar when it comes to protecting the environment. What we’ve achieved at Harapaki has become the benchmark for other Meridian projects,” Barclay said.