Mahinerangi wind farm

Hundreds of people visited the Mahinerangi Wind Farm on Saturday, during an open day organised by TrustPower.

People will have the opportunity to stand underneath a working wind turbine and see how the technology works, at an open day at the Mahinerangi Wind Farm tomorrow.

More than 1200 people turned out at an open day in Dunedin on Saturday to view components of turbines for the TrustPower Mahinerangi wind farm.

Engineers hope to complete the first eight of 12 towers needed for the first stage of the Mahinerangi wind farm by the weekend, TrustPower project engineer Stewart Reid confirmed.

The frustrating wait seemed to confirm TrustPower had a good spot for its wind farm.

A threatened species of bird living amid the tussock near Dunedin could influence the way New Zealanders design their wind farms.

Further southern wind-farm development is hamstrung as long as South Island generators carried the cost of the Cook Strait electricity cable, TrustPower chief executive Vince Hawksworth says.

Clutha District Mayor Juno Hayes reckons the $75 million Mahinerangi wind farm could help his region and Dunedin City emerge from the recession.

Otago's first wind farm will be supplying electricity to Dunedin by early next winter, TrustPower chief executive Vince Hawksworth says.