The Kurow community has been invited to meet with a clean energy company to discuss the possibility of a wind farm in the area.

Aquila Clean Energy APAC (Asia Pacific) is holding two engagement sessions at the Kurow Memorial Hall on Tuesday, 3 December. The first session will run from 1pm to 4pm, and the second from 5pm to 8pm.

On Tuesday, Aquila representatives met with Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher, Waitaki District Councillors and Ahuriri Community Board Members to discuss the proposed project, a council spokesperson says.

It was decided to hold the preliminary briefing behind closed doors, to protect the commercial position of the company, considering the early stage of the project.

The meeting was to inform councillors of the potential scope and scale of the project ahead of upcoming public consultation, and according to information released by Aquila, it is anticipated resource consent will be applied for mid-2025.

The company has met with landowners of two farms in recent months, and neighbouring landowners regarding the project also on Tuesday of this week.

The draft plan is for up 23 wind turbines, with a 200m maximum tip height and rotor diameter of 160m, to be split evenly across the two farms.

Information from Aquila which has been shared online shows there are several factors that make the proposed 130MW windfarm a good option, including initial desktop studies showing there’s stong and consistent wind in the proposed area, grid connection options are technically viable, and New Zealand has a need for more renewable energy.

The next steps, as well as consultation, is to install wind measurement equipment to collect data at different heights above the ground for at least 12 months, and to engage specialists in areas such as ecology, noise and construction to start field investigations to support the consent application.

Those interested in the project can sign up for news and updates by emailing its development team at [email protected]