We’re planning a wind farm, solar energy and battery development northwest of Whanganui that could generate enough clean, renewable energy to power up to 253,000 average homes.
Waiinu Energy Park is a proposed wind farm, solar energy and battery development northwest of Whanganui.
The project could be one of New Zealand’s largest renewable energy developments, generating enough clean energy to power up to 253,000 average homes.
The main site is on farmland between Waitōtara and Waiinu Beach. A proposed grid connection site is north of State Highway 3.
Waiinu site map
The project would include 56 wind turbines, with a total capacity of 392MW, and a solar farm with a 230MW capacity. In total the development would generate about 1,600GWh of electricity a year, enough to power around 253,000 average homes. It would also include a national grid-scale battery energy storage system.
The project has been accepted for referral into the Fast-track Approvals process and we expect to lodge a substantive application in late 2026, which provides more detail than the referral application.
You can view the fast-track referral application documents we submitted below. The substantive application will include significantly more detail on the consent design and effects assessments.
Read the referral application documents on the Fast-Track website: https://www.fasttrack.govt.nz/projects/waiinu-energy-project
In preparation for making the application, we have engaged with mana whenua and the local community to better understand the potential impacts of the project. We have also assessed the project’s potential economic benefits and environmental effects, including landscape and visual, noise, ecological and archaeological effects.
Once we lodge the substantive fast-track application, it will be considered by an expert panel. Expert panels are independent decision-making bodies set up for each fast-track project.
The panel may invite comments and organise other information or activities required to support their decision, possibly including a hearing.
The panel will then issue its decision. If the application is approved, the panel will specify the consent conditions the project must meet.
This process is set out in more detail here: https://www.fasttrack.govt.nz/process/process-overview
If approved, a detailed design process for the project will be carried out, along with the development of a business case that will be taken to the Meridian Board for a final decision.
Our project team will continue to engage with mana whenua and the local community throughout the process.
If the Waiinu Energy Park project goes ahead, construction could begin in late 2028.
We create renewable energy generation assets that will exist for decades to come, in communities where people live and work. It’s important to us that we become part of, and support, the communities that host our developments.
The possible benefits of Waiinu Energy Park to the local community and region include:
The demand for electricity in New Zealand is projected to grow. To keep up with demand, we need to build more renewable energy generation.
Homes and businesses are looking to electricity for things that currently use petrol, gas or coal – whether that’s buying an EV, moving to electric heating, cooking or hot water, or replacing industrial coal boilers with electric boilers. There are also new uses for electricity coming online, like the data centres required to help New Zealand take advantage of AI.
Increasing our overall electricity supply will also help reduce power prices over time. Meridian is committed to creating as much new renewable energy generation and storage as we can.
This site has been chosen for its strong and consistent winds and the proximity to transmission lines. The relatively flat land and good access to the sites would also make for easier construction and maintenance of the development.
We estimate that for Meridian to deliver our share of the country’s renewable energy needs, we’ll need to build the equivalent of 20 Harapaki Wind Farm-sized renewable generation assets by 2050.
We have a team of people working on a pipeline of development options – only the best of which make it through to the consenting phase. Meridian and other developers will be building renewable energy projects throughout the country to meet the growing demand for electricity.
Modern wind turbines are quiet. They also have to comply with the with New Zealand Standard for wind farm noise (NZS6808), which requires that sound from a wind turbine outside a nearby dwelling is to be no more than the greater of 40 decibels (about the same level of sound in a quiet room) or 5 decibels above background sound levels.
The Waiinu Energy Park will be designed and constructed to meet the requirements of NZS6808.
There are no infrasound, vibration or health effects arising from this proposal.
Levels of infrasound (sound waves with frequencies below 20 Hz) and vibration at wind farms are very low. Repeated research has shown that they are well below what humans can perceive and do not pose any health risks to neighbouring communities.
Property value is influenced by a wide range of factors and can fluctuate over time. It is also inherently subjective, and can be shaped by an individual buyer’s preferences, values and expectations.
Given this, the approach in New Zealand is to instead consider whether a project could impact amenity at someone’s home, such as through glare from a solar farm or wind turbine noise. Meridian carefully designs and operates its solar and wind farms to manage these effects and make sure they remain within acceptable limits.
Shadow flicker can occur when rotating turbine blades come between you and the sun, causing a moving (flickering) shadow inside a building. It’s something we look at carefully as part of the project design process, and by applying international guidelines. If it’s going to impact a property beyond guideline limits, there are mitigations we can put in place.
We anticipate that at the peak of construction there could be 300-350 people working at the site, and potentially over 3,000 people in total could work on the project during the construction period. There could then be up to 20 people working at the site once the energy park is operational.
Meridian is committed to employing as many locals and using as many local businesses as possible during the construction of our developments, and specific targets are set for each construction project.
We also have Power Up Community Funds in the communities surrounding each of our generation assets. Run by panels of local community members and Meridian staff, these funds support projects that contribute directly to and generate benefits for the community. Over the past 17 years we’ve invested more than $11 million into over 1,500 projects, with annual funding amounts depending on the size of the asset.
Yes. We’ve held two community open days and various meetings with people who live close to the project site. We consider the feedback we receive from these engagements as we progress the project design.
If you think you'll be affected by the project and want to talk to us, get in touch at renewables@meridianenergy.co.nz.
Once we submit our substantive fast-track application, a panel will be set up to consider and make decisions on the application. There’s a list of parties the panel must invite comments from, including the owners and occupiers of the land adjacent to the project site.
For more information on the fast-track process, visit www.fasttrack.govt.nz.
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