The MainPower Board has approved the project at Thongcaster Rd in the Oxford area and has received consents for the 7.3MW solar farm on the site.
Lightyears Solar Ltd has been awarded the engineering, procurement and construction contract.
The farm is expected to be finished at the end of May next year. When completed, the energy generated will be distributed via the MainPower network.
MainPower acting chief executive Damien Whiffen said Lightyears is passionate about building high-quality, community-scale solar farms to generate low-cost, renewable electricity.
"The company’s belief that these are vital to address energy poverty in our country, as a driver for economic growth and to help mitigate climate change, aligns with MainPower’s drive to decarbonise our place and prepare for the new energy future," Whiffen says.
Lightyears director and co-founder Matt Shanks said the company is pleased to be working with MainPower to bring more solar power to North Canterbury.
‘‘This will be the fourth solar farm we are building in Canterbury, and we are pleased this project will be contributing to the energy needs of the community, and also providing economic benefit to the community via MainPower Trust.
‘‘Solar farms are well suited to Canterbury as one of the few places in New Zealand that has a summer peak energy load due to irrigation.’’
Mr Whiffen says MainPower has been consulting with the local community since the beginning of the project.
‘‘We sincerely appreciate the support and input from our immediate neighbours during the planning stages of this project.
‘‘While the project will see an increase in traffic movements in the area for a short time, the longer term benefits of the solar farm for the community and the network are significant.’’
Work will start soon planting the perimeter screen, and delivery of materials to site, and piling to set the frames for the photovoltaic panels.
‘‘MainPower is committed to investing in renewable energy to assist the local community, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and help New Zealand meet its carbon reduction goals.
‘‘The Thongcaster Road Solar Farm is a key investment for MainPower and our network,’’ Mr Whiffen says.
MainPower has been distributing electricity to the North Canterbury area for about 100 years.
Its network area spans from the Waimakariri River, through the Waimakariri and Hurunui districts to Kaikoura.
Mr Whiffen says the solar farm project is directly aligned with MainPower’s MPowered Future strategic objective.
