Puketoi Wind Farm
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1 PUKETOI WIND FARM RESOURCE CONSENT APPLICATIONS AND ASSESSMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS 2 August 2011 2 VOLUME 1 PART A: RESOURCE CONSENT APPLICATIONS 3 APPLICATION FOR RESOURCE CONSENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 88 OF THE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ACT 1991 FORM 9 To: Manawatu-Wanganui (Horizons) Regional Council Regional House 11-15 Victoria Street Private Bag 11 025 Manawatu Mail Centre PALMERSTON NORTH MIGHTY RIVER POWER LIMITED (‘Mighty River Power’) hereby applies for the following resource consents pursuant to the Resource Management Act 1991 (‘RMA’): Resource Consents Sought 1. Mighty River Power proposes to construct, operate and maintain a Wind Farm containing up to 53 wind turbines and an associated transmission line (‘the Proposal’) as more fully discussed and described within the Assessment of Environmental Effects (‘AEE’), which follows as Part B of this document. 2. Mighty River Power applies for all necessary resource consents to construct, operate and maintain the Proposal as detailed in the AEE, including but not limited to: Land and Water Regional Plan a. Land Use Consents – for earthworks and vegetation removal associated with the construction of the Proposal, including access roads, turbine and transmission tower foundations and for ancillary buildings; b. Discharge Permits – for the discharge of stormwater to land, including stormwater from the substation, switchyard, concrete batching plants, workshop, staff ablutions building and fuel storage areas. Manawatu Catchment Water Quality Plan c. Discharge Permit – for discharge of stormwater from the substation, switchyards, concrete batching plants, workshop, staff ablutions building and fuel storage areas; Regional Plan for the Beds of Rivers and Lakes and Associated Activities d. Land Use Consents – for works and disturbance within the beds of rivers associated with the construction of bridges, fords and culverts. Proposed One Plan e. Land Use Consents – vegetation clearance and earthworks, including areas of indigenous biological diversity that may be at-risk, threatened or rare habitats and within the Hill Country Erosion Management Area. Works and disturbance within the beds of rivers for bridges, fords and culverts. f. Discharge Permits – for the discharge of (i) stormwater to land, including stormwater from the substation, switchyard, concrete batching plants, workshop, staff ablutions building and fuel storage areas, and (ii) from the surplus cleanfill from earthwork activities. 4 All plans g. Any other resource consents necessary to enable Mighty River Power to construct, operate and maintain the Proposal. Type of Resource Consents Sought 3. The following resource consents are sought by these applications: a. Land-use Consents for vegetation clearance and earthworks, and for works and disturbance within the beds of watercourses associated with the construction and installation of bridges, fords and culverts. b. Discharge permits for stormwater, wastewater and from surplus cleanfill associated with the proposed earthworks. Owners/Occupiers of land to which the applications relate 4. The name, address and contact details of the owners/occupiers of land to which the resource consent applications relate are described in the AEE. The application involves a total of 47 separate privately owned landholdings and some small public land areas (administered by Palmerston North City Council, Tararua District Council, the Department of Conservation, New Zealand Transport Agency and LINZ). Legal descriptions of all privately owned land affected by the Proposal is provided at Annexures A and B of Part B of this document. Location 5. The Wind Farm will be generally located on the main ridgeline of the Puketoi Range to the east of Pahiatua. As well as wind generating turbines and associated equipment, the Wind Farm will include internal 33 kV overhead and underground transmission network and a 33 kV / 220 kV substation. An external 220 kV Transmission Line will connect the proposed Wind Farm to the National Grid, at a location between Palmerston North and the Tararua Ranges. 6. The land to which the application relates is described in the attached AEE. A location plan is attached in Volume Three of the AEE (refer to Drawing MRP- PKT-0101). Related Consents/Other Consents Needed 7. Associated resource consent applications for the Proposal have been filed with the Palmerston North City Council and Tararua District Council concurrently. Copies of those applications are attached; they rely on the same AEE as the present application. To the best of our knowledge, no other resource consents are required. Lapsing Period 8. The default statutory lapsing period for resource consents is five years. However, given the nature of the Proposal and the need to maintain flexibility over construction commencement, Mighty River Power requests that a lapsing period of ten years apply to all resource consents. AEE 9. Attached in accordance with the Fourth Schedule of the RMA is an assessment of environmental effects in such detail as corresponds to the scale and 5 significance of the effects that the proposed activities may have on the environment. Information required to be included by the district plan, any regional plans, the RMA or any regulations made under that Act. 10. All relevant information required to be included in this application by the RMA and relevant regional plans is contained as applicable within the application, the AEE, and the accompanying plans and information. Consultation 11. Section 6.0 of the AEE identifies those persons affected by (or interested in) the Proposal, the consultation undertaken, and the responses of those consulted. Signature: 2 August 2011 ----------------------------- Stuart Lush Generation Development Manager For and on behalf of Mighty River Power Ltd Address for Service of Applicant Mighty River Power 160 Peachgrove Road PO Box 445 HAMILTON Phone: (07) 857 0199 Fax: (07) 857 0192 Contact Person: Mason Jackson 6 APPLICATION FOR RESOURCE CONSENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 88 OF THE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ACT 1991 FORM 9 To: Palmerston North City Council 32 The Square P O Box 11034 Manawatu Mail Centre PALMERSTON NORTH 4442 MIGHTY RIVER POWER LIMITED (‘Mighty River Power’)hereby applies for the following resource consents pursuant to the Resource Management Act 1991 (‘RMA’): Resource Consents Sought 1. Mighty River Power proposes to construct, operate and maintain a Wind Farm containing up to 53 wind turbines and Transmission Line (‘the Proposal’) as more fully discussed and described within the Assessment of Environmental Effects (‘AEE’), which follows as Part B of this document. 2. Mighty River Power applies for all necessary resource consents to construct, operate and maintain the Proposal as detailed in the AEE, including but not limited to: a) Land-use Consent for the construction, operation and maintenance of a 220 kV electricity transmission line, and b) Land-use Consent for earthworks associated with the construction of the foundations for the transmission line’s support structures. c) Any other resource consents necessary to enable Mighty River Power to construct, operate and maintain the Proposal. Type of Resource Consents Sought 3. The following are the resource consents sought by these applications: a. Land-use Consent for the establishment (construction), operation and maintenance of a double-circuit electricity line with a voltage up to 220 kV (per circuit) and a design capacity up to 1,330 MVA, and associated earthworks. Owners/Occupiers of land to which the application relate 4. The name, address and contact details of the owners/occupiers of land to which the resource consent applications relate are described in the AEE. The application involves a total of 47 separate privately owned landholdings and some small public land areas (administered by Palmerston North City Council, Tararua District Council, the Department of Conservation, New Zealand Transport Agency and LINZ). Legal descriptions of all privately owned land affected by the Proposal is provided at Annexures A and B of Part B of this document. Location 5. The Wind Farm will be generally located on the main ridgeline of the Puketoi Range to the east of Pahiatua. As well as wind generating turbines and 7 associated equipment, the Wind Farm will include internal 33 kV overhead and underground transmission network and a 33 kV / 220 kV substation. An external 220 kV Transmission Line will connect the proposed Wind Farm to the National Grid, at a location between Palmerston North and the Tararua Ranges. 6. The land to which the application relates is the Turitea Reserve. A location plan is attached in Volume 3 of the AEE (refer to Drawing MRP-PKT-0101). The section of the 220kV Transmission Line relevant to the Palmerston North City Council application comprises towers 103 through to 111 as shown generally in MRP-PKT-5210_Sheet 5-A included in Volume 3 of the AEE. Related Consents/Other Consents Needed 7. Associated resource consent applications for the Proposal have been filed with the Manawatu-Wanganui (Horizons) Regional Council and Tararua District Council concurrently. Copies of those applications are attached; they rely on the same AEE as the present application. Any subdivision consents required for the Proposal will be applied for following the detailed design stage. To the best of our knowledge, no other resource consents are required. Lapsing Period 8. The default statutory lapsing period for resource consents is five years. However, given the nature of the Proposal and the