$120,000 available for communities surrounding Te Uku wind farm

Tuesday 17 July 2012

Meridian Energy has made $120,000 available to local community projects over the next three years through the new Meridian Te Uku Community Fund.

Te Uku windfarm

“After conducting research in the community it was clear the Community Fund concept would work well for those living near our Te Uku wind farm” says Neal Barclay, General Manager of Markets and Production at Meridian Energy. “We’re managing similar Funds in other locations, and they have been a great way to support genuine grass-roots initiatives” says Neal.

The first round of applications closes on 6 September 2012 and will be assessed by a panel of community and Meridian representatives.

“We are looking for projects that generate direct benefits for the local community, and welcome applications from the communities of Te Uku, Raglan, Waitetuna and Te Mata” says Hamish Scott, Meridian Te Uku Site Manager and Chair of the new Fund.

“In the past Meridian’s Community Funds have assisted a diverse range of projects including environmental conservation, volunteer emergency services, schools, local events, education programs, and heritage restoration. We’ll be looking for a similar spread for this Fund” says Hamish.

Find out more about the Te Uku Community Fund, including how and when to apply.

ENDS

For more information contact:
Katy Glenie
External Communications, Meridian Energy
021 997 523
Katy.glenie@meridianenergy.co.nz
Meridian.co.nz

About Meridian Energy

Meridian Energy is an integrated renewable energy company; the largest generator in New Zealand, with a strong pipeline of development options in Australasia; and an electricity retailer throughout New Zealand.

Meridian and its online subsidiary Powershop retail electricity to approximately 280,000 connections − homes, farms and businesses throughout New Zealand. Meridian received the highest customer satisfaction ratings of all the major national retailers, and Powershop was rated first overall, as voted by customers in two independent surveys¹ carried out in 2011.

The Meridian Energy Group includes a parent company Meridian Energy, subsidiary businesses in Australia and the USA and other innovative New Zealand investments that complement our core activities as an electricity generator and retailer. In total the Group employs approximately 800 people and has offices in Wellington, Christchurch and Twizel, and, internationally, in Melbourne, Australia, and San Francisco, California.

Meridian generates electricity from renewable sources − wind and water in New Zealand; wind in Australia; and solar in the USA. The company supplies thirty per cent of New Zealand’s total electricity needs, including to the country’s largest consumer, the New Zealand Aluminum Smelter, near Bluff.  Meridian owns and operates seven hydro stations, six within the Waitaki Hydro Scheme, and four wind farms throughout New Zealand.

In Australia, Meridian owns and operates Mt Millar wind farm and is partnering with AGL Energy to build the Macarthur wind farm, which, at 420 megawatts, will be the largest wind farm in the Southern Hemisphere. The company also built the world’s southernmost wind farm at Ross Island in Antarctica, in partnership with Antarctica New Zealand. Meridian’s solar farm, CalRENEW-1, was the first grid-connected solar farm to be built in California, and the company is using that expertise to build the first solar farm in Tonga.

Meridian’s pipeline of renewable development projects includes options at different stages of investigation and consent. The Australasian development pipeline equates to more than 1,500 megawatts.
Meridian’s commitment to renewable energy, environmental stewardship and support for the communities living alongside its assets makes it authentically sustainable. Meridian continually looks for ways to provide positive energy solutions to customers to help them reduce their energy use. 

1. Independent surveys:
                • Consumer. Energy provider survey results, 28 July 2011. Available here
                • Fair Go/Colmar Brunton Best in service poll – power companies, 19 October 2011.