A major renewable energy proposal for the Maniototo that has drawn significant public interest will go before an independent hearings panel in Ranfurly next week. 

From Tuesday (August 19) to Thursday (August 21), the panel will consider Helios Energy’s application for a 300 MW grid-scale solar farm on 660 hectares of farmland south of Naseby.  

The hearing will be held at Maniototo Park Stadium and Rugby Clubrooms, starting at 9.30am each day, and is open to the public. 

The proposal involves 550,810 solar panels, mounted in north–south tracking rows to follow the sun’s movement during the day.  

When first announced in 2023, it also included a large battery energy storage system of 32 shipping container-sized units, but this element was dropped in May after community concerns about fire safety. 

Of the 171 submissions lodged with Central Otago District Council, more than 75 percent opposed the development. 

Along with fire risk, submitters raised concerns about glare, visual impact on the rural landscape, the perceived industrialisation of traditionally pastoral land, noise during construction and from cooling systems, and potential effects on property values and insurance premiums. 

Supporters of the proposal told the council the farm would generate enough clean electricity to power the equivalent of 70,000 homes annually, provide economic benefits, and allow sheep grazing to continue beneath the panels.  

Some submitters said it would help farmers diversify as well as meet environmental goals for water quality and greenhouse gas emissions. 

The hearings panel agenda runs to thousands of pages, including technical reports, environmental assessments, landscape studies, infrastructure plans and the full set of public submissions.  

Panel chair Louise Taylor will be joined by Ros Day-Cleavin and Gary Rae, who will hear evidence from the applicant, expert witnesses, and submitters. 

The agenda is available on the council website. 

Read more: Helios solar farm build not planned until 2029 

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