Energy company Meridian is withdrawing its Environment Court
appeal for resource consents for Project Hayes, the wind farm
proposed for the Lammermoor Range in Central Otago.
The Central Otago District Council has opted to split its
energy supply contracts between two different suppliers in a
move which is expected to produce a saving of $37,000 a year.
Claimed delays over a further Environment Court hearing
involving the proposed Project Hayes wind farm on the
Lammermoor Range in Central Otago were highlighted at an
Otago Regional Council meeting on Wednesday.
About 60 pits will start to appear this week across the
Waimate landscape as part of an investigation into a $200
million, 40,000ha irrigation scheme which could create up to
1200 jobs in the district.
The Government will receive a $521 million special dividend
from Meridian Energy thanks to Genesis Energy borrowing money
from its bankers to help pay for Meridian's Tekapo assets.
State-owned Meridian Energy is to pay a special dividend of
nearly $521 million to the Government from the sale of South
Island hydro stations Tekapo A and B to Genesis Energy.
A change in ownership of the two Tekapo power stations on the
Waitaki hydro-electricity generation system is still expected
to take place in the first six months of this year, Genesis
Energy and Meridian Energy having completed major agreements
for the sale to take place.
Meridian Energy is expecting wholesale spot electricity
prices to stay low in the short term as national hydro
storage levels continue to track above average levels.
A final decision clearing the way for Meridian Energy to use
water from the lower Waitaki River for a new power scheme has
been issued by the Environment Court in a process that has
taken almost four years.
Meridian Energy is going to Waimate to outline and answer
questions on the new hydro-electric scheme it is proposing to
build on the north bank of the lower Waitaki River.
