Difference in turbine sizes unsightly, hearing told

Disparate wind turbine sizes on the Tararua Ranges look "experimental" and have created an adverse cumulative effect, a board of inquiry has heard.

An Environment Ministry-appointed board of inquiry tasked with deciding if the 121-turbine Turitea Wind Farm proposal from Mighty River Power should go ahead resumed yesterday at FMG Stadium.

Tararua-Aokautere Guardians witness Shannon Bray told the board the proposed 125-metre turbines were too tall. Turbines on the ranges lacked consistency, creating an unpleasant appearance, he said.

While turbines at the Tararua and Te Apiti wind farms were similarly sized, the difference between those and the much shorter two-bladed turbines at Te Rere Hau created a "polarising effect", he wrote in his evidence.

Palmerston North City Council lawyer John Maassen asked if that discrepancy would be perpetuated by the larger Turitea turbines.

Mr Bray said it would, because the difference in size would be extremely noticeable.

"If what is proposed is pushed through that will be adverse, because you're able to compare it to Te Apiti, which is favourable."

He agreed with Mr Maassen's summary: "Already the landscape has a somewhat experimental appeal, and greater dissonance is undesirable".

Turbine layering was also an issue in the Turitea design, Mr Bray said.

Places where spinning turbine blades appeared to overlap would create a more adverse affect than if the turbines were more spread out.

To limit the cumulative affect, any turbines should be limited to the ridgeline, not the foothills, he said.

But Mighty River Power lawyer Nicholas Davidson QC questioned how bad that effect would be now plans for the Motorimu Wind Farm had been axed.

Even if all 121 turbines were built, there would only be about 40 more than when the Motorimu proposal was going ahead, he said.

Mr Bray said the two projects were not comparable, because the lay of the land was different.

Mighty River Power landscape witness Brad Coombs said the skyline created by the Tararua Ranges should not be considered an outstanding natural feature.

AT A GLANCE

121 turbines on a possible 126 sites. An alternative layout would use 111 turbines.

Each would stand a maximum of 125m tall, from base to tip of the blade.

The wind-farm site would be about 10km southeast of Palmerston North's Square, stretching mostly along a 14km ridge in the northern Tararua Ranges, with turbines in and around the Turitea Reserve.

Driving down Fitzherbert Ave towards Massey University, turbines would be visible along the skyline.

The turbines would range in output from 2 to 3.5 megawatts.

Substations and towers connecting cabling to carry the power to the national grid would also be built.

Economic estimates from Mighty River Power suggest the wind farm could inject about $500 million into the region, along with 250 jobs.

702 submissions were received by the Environment Ministry, with about 66 per cent in opposition, and 20 per cent in support. The remainder were neutral.

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