Campaign to fight wind farms

Meridian Energy is being accused of a North Canterbury "takeover" by offering landowners supporting a proposed wind farm $15,000 a year for each turbine they allow on their land.

One farm, which would have 13 of Project Hurunui's turbines, stands to make $195,000 a year from such an agreement.

Meridian denies the takeover accusation and says it has consulted the community for the past four months.

A campaign against wind farms, led by Greta Valley businessman John Carr, will start today, with North Canterbury residents about to find out how much six landowners may be paid for having turbines on their properties.

Carr, who lives near Meridian's proposed Project Hurunui wind farm, said he was willing to "stick my head above the parapet" to draw attention to the effects of the scheme and of four other possible MainPower and TrustPower wind farms on the North Canterbury hills now at various stages of investigation.

Eight hundred letters will be delivered this morning to Greta Valley, Omihi, Scargill, Motunau and Waipara residents in which Carr names the six landowners and compares the state-owned electricity company's Project Hurunui proposal to "a large corporate, hostile takeover of our community".

Carr's letter includes a referendum asking the residents to say by July 20 if they support or oppose the Meridian wind farm and the prospect of five developments.

Carr told The Press he would be "damned in some corners".

"But I'm igniting the debate and trying to remove the secrecy around agreements by electricity companies so everything about wind farms can be debated," he said.

"Don't sleepwalk into this. If this goes ahead, the landscape of North Canterbury is going to change forever."

Carr, who bought the historic Tipapa woolshed to develop as a tourist attraction, said his main objections were noise, the effect on the landscape and property values, and the discrepancy in the size of a fund to be given to the community compared with payments to those with turbines.

It would "set neighbour against neighbour".

"From information directly and indirectly gleaned from Meridian employees, Meridian will, I understand, pay the landowners between $15,000 and $20,000 per year per turbine," he said.

The Press understands it is closer to $15,000 a turbine a year.

Meridian's 31-hectare wind farm would have 33 130-metre-tall towers and rotors more than twice the height of the Christ Church Cathedral spire.

They would generate 76 megawatts of electricity - enough to power about 30,000 households.

Meridian spokeswoman Claire Shaw said there was nothing secretive about the community consultation.

"We've been genuine, open and honest. We have been consulting with many people and we have spent hours consulting with Mr Carr on these issues," she said.

Meridian ran two popular open days on Project Hurunui in May, she said.

John Macer and Sue Stevenson could have up to four turbines on their Omihi property.

Macer said last night he was "extremely disappointed" with Carr's letter.

He said the figures Carr was using were "miles too high".

"We see it as another way to farm the land for much-needed electricity," he said.

"If the situation was reversed, we wouldn't protest. We'd be quite happy with someone having a wind farm next to us."

MainPower has appealed to the Environment Court and engaged in mediation after consents for its planned Mt Cass wind farm were declined. It is investigating a site at Scargill.

TrustPower is investigating two sites, at Mt Vulcan and close to Motunau.

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