Project West Wind
| West Wind Wind Farm | |
|---|---|
 |
|
 Location of West Wind Wind Farm in New Zealand
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| Country | New Zealand |
| Location | Makara, west of Wellington City |
| Coordinates | 41°16′35″S 174°39′37″E / 41.27639°S 174.66028°ECoordinates: 41°16′35″S 174°39′37″E / 41.27639°S 174.66028°E |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | September 2007 |
| Commission date | April 2009 |
| Construction cost | $440 million |
| Owner(s) | Meridian |
| Wind farm | |
| Type | Onshore |
| Hub height | 68 m (223 ft) |
| Rotor diameter | 82 m (269 ft) |
| Rated wind speed | 13–14 m/s (47–50 km/h; 29–31 mph) |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 62 |
| Make and model | Siemens: SWT-2.3-82 VS |
| Nameplate capacity | 142.6 MW |
| Capacity factor | 44.0% |
| Annual gross output | 550 GWh |
Project West Wind is a wind farm located at Terawhiti Station and Makara Farm west of Wellington, New Zealand.
It is the first wind farm for the capital city, and has a capacity of 143 MW. Construction of the wind farm project began in September 2007 and was completed in late 2009. The wind farm received resource consent for up to 66 turbines, however only 62 were installed. It is owned and operated by Meridian Energy.
The wind farm was officially opened in April 2009, when Prime Minister John Key turned on the first 15 turbines. Electricity from the farm is stepped-up to 110 kV and is injected into Transpower's national grid via a tee off one of its Wilton to Central Park lines.
Six turbines suffered premature bearing failures in 2011.
The wind farm was the winner of the Energy and Resources category in the 2012 New Zealand Engineering Excellence Awards.
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