Each of the 55 wind turbines at this facility has a capacity of 1.65 MW – the first machines of this size to be used in New Zealand. Local wind speeds averaging 9.3 meters per second allow the generation of enough electricity to power approximately 45,000 homes.

Project Location:
Manawatu, Lower North Island, New Zealand

Commercial On-line Date:
Mid-2005

Total Capacity:
96.25 MW

Annual Energy Production:
325,000 MWh

Annual Emission Reduction:
196,000 metric tons carbon dioxide 

Verifiable Impact of the Offset Purchase:

• This facility is one of the first in the world to achieve “Gold Standard” certification. The independent non-profit Gold Standard Foundation represents the highest quality level of offset certification for clean energy. It is supported by 44 environmental and development non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including the World Wildlife Fund and Greenpeace. Compliance with this standard ensures that the offset project delivers the promised benefits for the environment and passes additional criteria for advancing local sustainable development objectives.
  
  
• With the extremely low cost of energy in New Zealand, this project would not have been financially viable without the revenue from the Verified Emission Reductions.
  
  
• Meridian Energy, New Zealand’s largest generator of electricity from renewable resources and a state-owned enterprise, is the developer of this project. All of Meridian Energy’s generation meters meet the electrical metering installation standards in New Zealand.