Story: Wellington places

Project West Wind

Project West Wind

Blustery Wellington is an ideal place for wind-power generation. In the early 2000s the company Meridian Energy planned to build a wind farm on hills at Makara – shown in this visual simulation. Named Project West Wind, the farm would have 66 wind turbines and produce about 200 megawatts of electricity, enough to power all Wellington homes. Critics claim it will blight the landscape and create undue noise. Supporters promote the renewable nature of the resource and argue that Wellington should supply some of its own energy.

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Meridian Energy

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How to cite this page:

Chris Maclean, 'Wellington places - The ‘Wild West’', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/13443/project-west-wind (accessed 28 March 2024)

Story by Chris Maclean, updated 1 Mar 2016