Meridian Energy is still considering whether to appeal the
Environment Court decision on the Project Hayes wind farm.
The court declined Meridian's consents for the 176-turbine $2
billion development on the Lammermoor Range.
Its 350-page decision, which was issued to the parties
involved on November 6, said the detrimental impact of the
project on the landscape outweighed the positive factors.
Meridian has until tomorrow to decide whether to appeal the
decision to the High Court, on points of law.
"We're still considering it, and will put out a statement
when we come to a conclusion," Meridian spokesman Alan Seay
said yesterday.
Meridian had lodged resource consent applications for Project
Hayes with the Central Otago District Council in July 2006
and with the Otago Regional Council in October 2007.
Several individuals and environmental and recreational groups
opposed the consents being granted and appealed to the
Environment Court.
The appeal hearing began in May 2008 and was completed in
February this year, after three adjournments.
The court's decision upheld the appeal and cancelled the
resource consents. Project Hayes was a proposed development
of 176 turbines over an area of 92 square kilometres, with
the ability to generate up to 630MW of power.
The development was named after engineer and inventor Ernest
Hayes, one of the first New Zealanders to recognise and
harness the commercial application of wind power in Central
Otago.
He developed a windmill to power his engineering works at
Oturehua from 1910 until about 1927, and also invented a
windmill for pumping water that was used on many farms.
Hayes Engineering at Oturehua was purchased by the New
Zealand Historic Places Trust in 1975.
lynda.van.kempen@odt.co.nz
Bookmark/Search this post with:
A name, residential address, and (preferably residential) telephone number is required from readers who comment on ODT Online. These details will not be visible to site visitors.