First wind turbines for region

DEREK FLYNN/Marlborough Express

WARD WIND: A turbine is erected on the top of Weld Cone, 3km south east of Ward on Thursday as part of a wind farm project.

Three second-hand $500,000 wind turbines from Europe have made their way to a rural Ward property to create Marlborough's first wind farm.

Work began at 5am on Thursday to erect the metal turbines on the top of Carole and Nick Webby's Weld Cone property, 3km south east of Ward.

The turbines are a project between the Webbys and Christchurch-based wind development company Energy3 to put the high winds on the rural property to good use.

Turbine specialists and Smiths Cranes workers completed putting up the three turbines yesterday, and they were expected to be up and running within the week.

Resource consent was granted in June last year for the three turbines, which weigh about 30 tonnes each and spin just a bit faster than a ferris wheel.

The turbines are expected to produce 3 GW of electricity a year, enough to power 370 homes.

Electricity would be taken to the Marlborough Lines Ward substation and then sold to retailers.

Energy3 director and Awatere Valley vineyard owner Warren McNabb said the second-hand turbine parts were shipped by boat from Denmark and Germany, before refurbishment in Christchurch.

Work was delayed last Wednesday due to 80kmh winds, but conditions were "perfect" on Thursday.

Mr McNabb said the turbines would be visible from State Highway 1 heading to Christchurch, but would create little noise disturbance as the turbines were 2km from the nearest home (The Webby's house).

Energy3 have also applied for resource consent to erect four wind turbines on the Lulworth family farm, 6.5km south of Ward. This application is currently before the Marlborough District Council.

- The Marlborough Express