Lodestone's Solar Farm Clears Fast-Track Approval

The decision, currently in its final draft form, will allow Lodestone to build its proposed Haldon Solar Farm in the Mackenzie District of Canterbury.

Gary Holden, managing director Lodestone, describes the decision – which follows six months of assessment from the Fast Track Approvals panel – as an important step in the development of the solar farm at Haldon Station.

“It’s exciting to see the Panel supporting new renewable and gives us the opportunity to continue to progress the other activities to get the project to shovel ready,” Holden told Dairy News.

“The robust process set an appropriately high standard for projects of this type and scale in the Mackenzie District,” he adds.

Once built, the solar farm will generate approximately 370 GWh of renewable electricity each year, which is enough to power 45,000 households.

Holden says the wider community will benefit both directly and indirectly from the project.

“During the construction of the solar farm there will be local employment opportunities from contractors working on the build to housing and feeding workers on site,” he says, adding that in the long term there will be operations and maintenance staff required to help maintain and operate the farm.

“The construction of the solar farm will also provide economic development opportunities in the region which don’t rely on water or result in any effluent being created.”

Holden describes it as a “clean, long-term sustainable option”.

Additionally, he says that having a more diverse mix of power generation options will help to moderate electricity prices in dry years.

“It can be said that utility scale solar farms provide ‘virtual rain’ which reduces New Zealand’s dry year risk,” Holden says.

“With solar generation highly correlated to hot summers, or long dry periods, this then enables water to be retained in the hydro lakes, and we use solar generated electricity instead,” he adds. “Thus, supported by and therefore supporting hydro systems.”

Paddy Boyd, Haldon Station managing director, says the project that from the outset, the owners of the station wanted to ensure that not only could renewable energy be produced on the land but that it could be done while protecting its unique landscape.

“We look forward to continuing to work alongside mana whenua, regulators and the community as the project progresses,” he says.