Wel power 'cut' is good news

Wel Networks has substantially amended its plan for an electricity transmission line between Te Kowhai and the proposed Te Uku wind farm because of a downgrade in the project's generation capacity.

The community-owned Waikato lines company has announced it will be constructing new 33kV lines between Te Kowhai and Te Uku rather than the 110kV lines applied for under the consenting process in March.

In a further change which should also delight residents, Wel Networks will now also underground almost one third of the 25 kilometre route, which is due to be constructed by next October.

Wel Networks chief executive Julian Elder said the changes – which will carve $6 million off construction costs – were possible because the wind farm was now set to operate at almost 25 per cent less capacity.

During the consenting process the wind farm was expected to have a generating capacity of 84MW – enough to power 32,000 homes.

But, after subsequent wind profile modelling, it is now being described as a 64MW project, which means its connecting lines can also be significantly smaller.

Dr Elder said the changes would not only make the project more palatable for affected parties, but meant Wel could install more economic 33kV lines, the same type as those currently used in the region.

"For resource consent we wanted to look at the largest capacity there might be," he said. "But it was always very much dependent on the wind resource as to what the final decision would be, and we came up with a better economic outcome with smaller capacity."

At this year's notice of requirement hearing Wel extolled the virtues of a 110kV line, saying the higher voltage would strengthen the network's western area network.

But Dr Elder now said the new 33kV proposal would be just as good in terms of network impacts, because the proposal would result in two "strong separate routes feeding back from Te Uku" and allow more undergrounding.

"Undergrounding costs a lot more, and as the voltage goes up gets worse. At 110kV it is not economic, but at 33kV the cost is more reasonable."

Dr Elder said Wel had also listened to landowners' concerns.

"We have been able to put together a slightly different route that allows us to underground one third of the line."

Wel Networks expects to begin removing vegetation along the transmission route before Christmas, and to erect new poles from February.

In another major change, a substation will not be built at the wind farm site. Rather, a small, enclosed switching station building will contain electrical gear and equipment.

Wel Networks has submitted its altered transmission route plans to Waikato District Council for approval and is inviting questions on its finalised route, ph 0800 Te Uku Wind (0800 838 589).

Wel Networks will also maintain and upgrade 10km of overhead lines from Cogswell Rd to Whatawhata.

- © Fairfax NZ News