Consent applications for a wind farm in the heart of Southland, due to be filed this month, may not be lodged for at least another two months and maybe longer, as the company behind the project gets a swag of assessment reports reviewed.
Wind Prospect CWP Ltd, the company behind the Slopedown wind farm development near Wyndham, had originally hoped to lodge resource consents with the Southland District Council this month, but yesterday admitted that target date had been pushed back.
Development manager Doreen Marchesan confirmed the new target date was late April, but even that could change, depending on how long it took to get the final reports in and approved.
"Most of the reports we have had done are back, but we are getting them reviewed legally so they are all finished properly," she said.
While April was the new target date, there was "every possibility" that could also be pushed further out again.
Miss Marchesan said the aim was to have all the completed reports ready in time for another community newsletter and public meeting, hopefully by April.
Most of the public reaction had been positive since the company unveiled its plans more than a year ago, although a group of locals have formed an incorporated society to formally oppose the project.
At a glance
Number of turbines: 50
Height of turbines: 125m maximum
Rating of turbines: 3mW
Wind farm size: 150mW
Predicted output; 591,300mWhr annually
Average households supplied: 73,913
Timeline
The new timetable for the Slopedown wind farm by Wind Prospect CWP Ltd.
-March 2009: Assessment reports on landscape, visual impact, transport impact, safety assessment, electromagnetic interference, acoustic assessment, archaeology and cultural heritage assessment, geology and civil engineering assessments due
-April 2009: Submit resource consent application
-Late 2009: Consent decisionMid 2010: Construction starts
-Late 2011: Wind farm operational