Waikato based infrastructure company has been selected to develop Lodestone’s five solar power stations in the upper North Island.
The farms in Northland, Eastern Bay of Plenty and Coromandel, will eventually generate 400 Gigawatt hours – enough power for about 55,000 households, the equivalent of Hamilton.
The first plant will be near Kaitaia, with further sites at Dargaville, Whitianga, near Whakatāne, and Edgecumbe. Locals would be hired and trained to participate in the building of the farms.
Lodestone is raising $300 million for the projects and has backing from investors, including Guy Haddleton, Sam Morgan, and Sir Stephen Tindall’s investment company K1W1.
New Zealand already generates much of its power through renewable energy, including hydro, wind and geothermal however, this is the first large scale solar power plan.
