wellygary:

 

Batman: What's the issue with wind farms? There's an area called Catlins in the south and it's magnitudes more windy than Wellington. I presume many coastal places are just as windy.

 

Yip, and Contact have plans in that part of the world, however I suspect it is very much hanging on what happens with Tiwai, 

 

If someone is about to free up 5000Gwh of generation in the deep south, that will kill any more generation plans until that is reabsorbed by other load (Fonterra electrification + hydrogen??) 

 

https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/133257849/contact-energy-to-lodge-1b-southland-wind-farm-consent-application-by-years-end

 

But also....

 

"The wind farm was being opposed by the West Catlins Preservation Society, with spokesperson Dean Rabbidge saying after the council meeting that Slopedown was an outstanding natural landscape that could be seen from Southland and south and west Otago.

 

“It’s going to be destroyed by 55 wind turbines [that are] 220m high.”

 

He said that if it went ahead, it would set a dangerous precedent for Southland."

 

Yet another reason why the next time they threaten to shut it down if they don't get a sweet power deal, the government should just say 'Cool cool, don't forget to clean up all your toxic slag on the way out.' I mean, that's what the Free Hand of the Market would demand, right?