The Mount Cass Wind Farm is a proposed wind farm to be located east of Waipara on Mount Cass in the Canterbury region of New Zealand. It will comprise up to 70 wind turbines along 7 km of a ridge on Mount Cass. Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2021.
History
MainPower initially applied for resource consent from the Hurunui District Council in November 2007. In April 2009 the consents were declined on the basis that the site was an outstanding natural feature of national significance. The decision was appealed to the Environment Court, which granted consent in December 2011. The consent was originally due to lapse in February 2020, but was extended until 2025.
Preliminary work on construction began in December 2019. Work was interrupted in December 2020 by the possible discovery of a colony of critically endangered New Zealand long-tailed bats on a nearby property. In April 2021 wildlife monitoring determined that there were no bats present. Construction is now scheduled to begin in late 2021.
In September 2021 MainPower announced that the project was transitioning to an alternative delivery model for the project after significant cost increases, citing risks and effects associated with COVID-19. The project was previously operating with a turnkey Engineer, Procure & Construct (EPC) contract with General Electric, and has moved to a multi-contract model.
In June 2023 MainPower provided an update. Two permanent 76.5m meteorological masts had been installed to provide ongoing wind data. Further geotechnical work was undertaken and the contract for the substation transformer had been awarded. Contractors had been engaged for the 3 main works; Turbine Supply & Install, Civil and Electrical Balance of Plant, to complete detailed design and provide updated offers. Mainpower say they are working towards a planned construction start date in 2023.