Construction of the new solar farm at Lauriston is on track to start producing power from December, but it has also contributed to a recent increase in waste at Ashburton Resource Recovery Park, largely due to green waste related to the project.
Photo: LDR / provided

A large solar farm in Canterbury is set to boost generating capacity in the district, but also create a massive jump in green waste.

The solar farm in Lauriston, about 80km from Christchurch, is a $104 million joint venture between Genesis Energy and Future Renewable Vision Australia.

It has been under construction since April and is expected to be the largest solar farm in the country, with the capacity to power more than 13,000 homes. However, it won’t hold the title for long as there is an even bigger factory under construction near Taupō.

Genesis Energy managing director of asset development Craig Brown said the Lauriston project remains on track for first generation power by December.

“It will be progressively brought online to a full generation over the coming months.”

The solar farm produced around 200 tonnes of waste, mainly green, which was delivered to the Ashburton Resource Recovery Park. The park sorts Ashburton’s rubbish, recycling and green waste.

There was a 43 per cent increase in waste received at Ashburton Resource Recovery Park in September, according to a briefing on recent work by Ashburton District Council.

Operations and Projects Manager Hernando Marilla said this is partly due to the volume of waste received from the solar farm project.

The recovery park received more than 100 tonnes – the equivalent weight of a blue whale – from the solar farm in August and another 117 tonnes in September, he said.

“They brought green waste and about two tons of general waste.”

Infrastructure and open spaces group manager Neil McCann said Enviro NZ, the council’s contractors managing the reclaim park, diverted any materials from general waste when possible.

Brown said Beon Construction had been appointed to deliver the project and had experience managing large-scale solar developments in Australia in NZ, “including robust waste management procedures”.

“Given the scale of the project and the large amount of equipment delivered to the site, construction waste is to be expected and is a normal part of solar construction.

“We are confident that waste generated from the project is managed to best practice standards, including waste segregation and recycling wherever possible.”

The 63 MW solar farm will have around 89,000 solar panels on the 93 acres of land leased from third generation Lauriston farmer Bernard Daley.

Daley runs a crop and dry dairy farm and will run sheep under the solar panels once construction is complete.

The solar farm’s claim to be the largest in the country will be short-lived.

Nova Energy’s Te Rāhui will convert a 1022ha dairy farm – about 35km from Taupō – into a solar farm with about 900,000 ground-mounted solar panels, producing enough electricity to power 100,000 homes.

LDR is local journalism, co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.