The Hau Nui Wind Farm is a 15-turbine
wind farm
A wind farm, also called a wind park or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundred wind turbines covering an exten ...
located approximately south-east of
Martinborough
Martinborough ( or ) is a town in the South Wairarapa District, in the Wellington region of New Zealand. It is 65 kilometres east of Wellington and 35 kilometres south-west of Masterton. The town has a resident population of
The town is home ...
, in the
South Wairarapa District
The South Wairarapa District is a district at the south-east tip of the North Island of New Zealand, governed by the South Wairarapa District Council. The district comprises the southernmost part of the Wairarapa, and is part of the Wellington Re ...
of
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
. Hau Nui (
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
for "big wind") was the first wind farm built in New Zealand.
The wind farm was built in two stages and the completed capacity is 8.65 MW. Originally owned by
Genesis Energy, in October 2024 the farm was sold to NZ Windfarms.
Site
Hau Nui wind farm is located on a ridge adjacent to White Rock Road, the main road between Martinborough and White Rock. Stage 1 is situated on Range Road near its intersection with White Rock Road. Stage 2 is located approximately one kilometre south of Stage 1 on Range Road.
The site has an average wind speed of .
Turbines
Hau Nui has a total of fifteen Enercon E-40 wind turbines. The seven Stage 1 turbines are third-generation turbines, delivering 550 kW each. The eight Stage 2 turbines are later versions of the same Enercon E-40 model, each generating 600 kW each.
The turbines in both stages are tall to the hub, and have rotor diameters of .
Transmission
Electricity generated by Hau Nui is injected into the local distribution grid. The 400 V electricity generated by each turbine is stepped up by transformers at the base of the turbine - to 11,000 V for stage 1 turbines and 33,000 V for stage 2 turbines.
33 kV lines from stage 2 take electricity to Martinborough to supply the town. Stage 1 turbines connect to 11 kV lines to supply the local area, or connect to the Stage 2 to Martinborough 33 kV lines through a 750 kVA transformer to the north side of the stage.
During peak demand, electricity generated by Hau Nui is used by Martinborough and the eastern South Wairarapa district. During off-peak, Hau Nui electricity can supply the entire South Wairarapa district via 33 kV lines connecting Martinborough with
Featherston
Featherston is a surname of English origin, at least as old as the 12th century. The link with "Featherstone" is probably not traceable, but people researching both spellings (and others such as "de Fetherestanhalgh") contribute to the collection o ...
,
Greytown, and
Pirinoa. If local demand is low, some electricity may be exported to the national grid through Transpower's Greytown substation.
See also
*
Wind power in New Zealand
Wind power constitutes a small but growing proportion of New Zealand's electricity. As of November 2023, wind power accounts for 1,059 MW of installed capacity and over 6 percent of electricity generated in the country.
New Zealand has ab ...
References
External links
*
{{Genesis Energy Limited
Wind farms in New Zealand
Buildings and structures in the Wairarapa