Contact consent for Southland Wind Farm is declined

18 March 2025

Contact consent for Southland Wind Farm is declined

The Expert Consenting Panel convened under the COVID-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) Act 2020 has declined Contact Energy’s consent application for its proposed Southland Wind Farm project.

“The decision by the Panel to decline Contact’s proposed wind farm is extremely concerning” said Chief Executive Officer, Mike Fuge. “It represents a significant setback for New Zealand’s
decarbonisation, Contact’s mission to improve electricity security of supply and the country’s economic development.”

“Contact has worked tirelessly during the process over the past few years to respond to feedback and shape the project to minimise local effects. This work led to a project scope that had the support of the Department of Conservation, Ngai Tahu, Environment Southland and the Southland District Council.”

“Investing and building renewable energy generation, like the Southland Wind Farm, is in the national interest and is critical to reducing reliance on declining natural gas supply and providing affordable, clean and secure electricity to all New Zealanders. During construction, the New Zealand economy
would benefit from the creation of up to 240 new jobs, with around $230m to $280m in domestic spend.”

The Panel’s decision can be appealed to the High Court within 15 working days, only on points of law and either by the applicant or those who were invited to comment during the application process.

“We strongly believe a project such as this would benefit all of New Zealand. We will take the time to review the decision and assess the next steps available to us,” said Mr Fuge.

Project details:
• Southland Wind Farm is a 330MW, 55-turbine, wind farm to be located approximately 15kmeast of Wyndam in Southland.
• The project is expected to produce ~1,200GWh of additional generation per annum.

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Investor enquiries
Shelley Hollingsworth
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+64 27 227 2429
[email protected]

Media enquiries
Jody Tuffin
Senior Communications Advisor
+64 21 029 53732
[email protected]

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Announcement PDF