The Central App

Maniototo solar farm submissions open

The Central App

Aimee Wilson

26 November 2024, 4:45 PM

Maniototo solar farm submissions openThe site of the proposed solar farm near Naseby. PHOTO: CENTRAL OTAGO DISTRICT COUNCIL

Up to 250 jobs would be created for a proposed solar farm near Naseby during a two-year period, with public submissions now open on the resource consent application.


The Central Otago District Council (CODC) has notified the application by Helios OTA to construct, operate, and maintain a solar farm at 48 Ranfurly-Naseby Road.



The proposed solar farm - also known as the Māniatoto Plain Solar Farm - required multiple resource consents to operate on rural land currently used for sheep and beef grazing.


Helios is a New Zealand company established in early 2020 when the founders recognised the potential for grid-scale solar developments to make a positive contribution to the existing New Zealand energy mix. 


Helios believed large-scale solar generation would make a meaningful and rapid contribution to New Zealand’s goal of reaching 100 per cent renewable electricity generation by 2030, and would democratise the country’s energy market to help deliver a more

secure and affordable energy supply for the country. 



The application sought resource consent to construct, operate and maintain an approximately 300MWac photovoltaic solar farm, and associated infrastructure including battery energy storage, substation and transmission line infrastructure for renewable

electricity generation.


The proposed solar farm would be built on land leased from two local farming families and connected into the National Grid via the Naseby Substation on Fennessy Road.


It would consist of approximately 550,810 solar panels, mounted on a tracking system. 


The panels would be aligned in north and south rows, and follow the movement of the sun throughout the day.


When the sun was overhead and the solar panels were tilted parallel to the ground at their maximum site coverage, they would cover approximately 23.3 per cent of the site (155 ha in total). 



The solar farm has been designed to allow enough space underneath and around the panels for compatibility with sheep grazing and pasture growth, with a grass mix suitable for sheep grazing.


The proposal would create enough clean, renewable electricity to power the equivalent of 70,000 typical New Zealand homes annually. 


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