Mercury takes FID on USD-300m wind farm expansion in New Zealand

New Zealand utility Mercury NZ Ltd (NZE:MCY) said on Tuesday it has taken a final investment decision on a NZD-506-million (USD 297.3m/EUR 256.3m) project to expand its Mahinerangi wind farm and create the country’s largest wind complex.

The project’s extension, called Mahinerangi Stage 2 or Puke Kapo Hai, will add 192 MW to the 12-turbine Mahinerangi plant on New Zealand’s South Island, which has an installed capacity of 36 MW and has been generating electricity since 2011.

Puke Kapo Hai will be built west of Dunedin, where 40 turbine generators will be installed to produce around 535 GWh of electricity annually, or enough to supply about 76,000 homes. Together with the existing Mahinerangi wind farm, it will create a 228-MW complex with an estimated annual output of around 646 GWh.

Currently, Mercury NZ is working to complete final grid-connection studies for the new project with state-owned power network operator Transpower. The company expects construction to be launched by the end of this year. The expansion will likely produce first power by the middle of 2028 and become fully operational by late 2028.

Mercury NZ achieved fast-track approval for Puke Kapo Hau in April. A month earlier, it signed a power purchase option agreement with data centre developer Datagrid for 140 MW of the new plant’s capacity.

(NZD 1.0 = USD 0.588/EUR 0.507)

More information:https://renewablesnow.com/news/mercury-takes-fid-on-usd-300m-wind-farm-expansion-in-new-zealand-1299848/