New Zealand's Kaiwaikawe Wind Farm: offtake agreement signed

The two companies have already made that kind of deal for the 133MW Waipipi Wind Farm in South Taranaki which was delivered on time despite the impact of COVID?19 on the supply chain and onsite construction activities. It became fully operational in March and is expected to produce approximately 455GWh of renewable generation each year. 

The Kaiwaikawe Wind Farm, which will be owned and operated by Tilt Renewables, is located approximately 12km northwest of Dargaville in Northland and is an ideal location for a windfarm due to its wind resource, appropriate environmental footprint, construction characteristics and proximity to the transmission network. It is expected to be completed by early 2024.

The Kaiwaikawe Wind Farm will reduce carbon emissions from Genesis’ thermal generation by an estimated 180,000 tonnes per annum. It is the first confirmed project of an RFP process that Genesis has been conducting with more announcements due.

“The partnership between Genesis and Tilt Renewables has changed the face of the electricity market in New Zealand and we are happy to see this next project from our pipeline be included in Genesis’ Future?gen strategy,” says Deion Campbell, Tilt Renewables CEO. 

Marc England, Genesis CEO, said it is another proof point for the Future?gen strategy and the company’s commitment to empowering New Zealand’s sustainable future. “The Kaiwaikawe Wind Farm will help us deliver on both the Future?gen targets and our commitment to remove at least 1.2m tonnes of annual carbon emissions by 2025,” England said. "We understand the role Genesis has to play in the country’s transition to a low carbon future and are looking at other renewable opportunities including new solar, wind and geothermal generation.”