Solar farm in Taranaki scrapes through covid fast-track consenting

The solar farm is planned for a site near Ōpunake in Taranaki. (Image: NZ Herald)

Thu, 11 Jul 2024

A planned solar farm in Taranaki has the green light under covid-19 fast-track rules despite the consenting panel’s “serious concerns” about the quality of the application.The application under the Covid-19 Recovery (Fast-Track Consenting) Act 2020 was made by Energy Farms Limited (EFL) for an 80- to 110-megawatt solar farm and battery on around 180 hectares, north of Ōpunake in western Taranaki. The solar farm, currently part of a dairy farm, is planned to include grazing sheep underneath the panels. No hearing was held...

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