TeUku: Renewable Energy Project - Assignment Example

Te Uku - Wind Farm Project Te Uku - Wind Farm Project Introduction Located in a small rural village near Raglan in Northern New Zealand, Te-Uku wind farm project is one of the New Zealand’s major renewable energy projects. The actual site of the 65MW wind farm project is situated on a 55.8 square kilometers private farm in an area with average latitude of 400 meters above seal level. The area was particularly chosen as an ideal location for the project due to its consistent and strong wind speeds. As part of the New Zealand’s continued diversification of its energy sources to meet its future energy needs, the project which is the first of its kind in New Zealand was commissioned in 2010 and successfully built by a joint alliance between a giant electricity generating and retailer company known as Meridian Energy and WEL Networks which is a lines company (WEL Networks, 2010). Fig 1: Te Uku - wind farm project At its full capacity, the Te Uku - wind farm project is estimated to have a potential of generating up to 65MW of electricity which is currently enough to power more than 30, 000 local New Zealand homes. This is critically important not only to the local populations but also to the government of New Zealand (NZWEA, 2010). For example, apart from the local benefits, the project not only adds to New Zealand’s growing portfolio of renewable energy sources but is also set to contribute towards the country’s energy self sufficiency goals. This report provides a critical overview of Te Uku - wind farm project, reasons for its success as well as its potential outcomes to the region. Planning and Management of Te Uku Wind farm project The planning as well as the successful management of the Te Uku Wind farm project was primarily carried out and supervised by a team consisting of members from five different companies. For example, the principal project engineers who were largely responsible for overseeing the civil engineering design and delivery of construction materials were from Bloxam Burnett & Olliver Company. On the other hand, Coffey Geotechnics provided geotechnical consultancy for the project including inspections and certification of earthworks and construction of turbine foundations. The other companies that were involved in the planning and management of the project included Hick Spartan Joint Venture which was the main contractor for roading and earthworks including the construction of turbine foundations, Coffey Information which provided field and laboratory testing and Siemens New Zealand which was responsible for the construction of the wind turbines (WEL Networks, 2009). With support from a number of sub-contractors and sub-consultants, the team was able to successfully complete the project within less than 17 months. Although the successful accomplishment of the project was largely attributed to the unlikely but highly successful alliance between WEL networks and Meridian, the local people working hand in hand with the professionals from the two companies also significantly contributed to the successful completion of the project. The siting of wind turbines is critical. The windmills should be located in areas with more wind because the kinetic energy of moving air that passed the rotor is proportional to the cube of wind speed. Doubling of the wind speed, results in eight times more wind power. Prior to the beginning of the actual project construction of the farm, resource consent for the project was granted. In May 2008 and all appeals were resolved by the end of the same year (Bradley, 2009). The first major part of the project began in November 2009 and consisted of the consisted of the construction of a 26 kilometer access, a switching station as well as an onsite concrete batching plant. This was particularly meant to enhance accessibility of the area due to the steep challenging terrain of some parts of the site. The civil construction led by Spartan Construction and Hicks Bros commenced immediately after the project planning and management team successfully completed its investigations of the proposals and design enhancements that were intended to help manage costs, optimize the general earthworks design as well as sustain an acceptable risk levels during the construction process. WEL networks was responsible for the construction of the 70km cables throughout the wind farm that were intended to connect all the 28 turbines to the onsite switching station and eventually to the national energy grid. Lastly, the construction of the first turbine foundation was commissioned in April 2010. Fig 2: Te Uku Wind Farm Cable Installation in March 2010 In order to comply with the Resource management Act of New Zealand, the project construction team adopted new construction methods that significantly reduced the volume of earthworks needed during the entire project in order to help prevent water runoff from the construction run-offs and their impact on the wetlands and streams within the project site. On the other hand, Meridian, one of the members of the joint alliance successfully built and maintained nearly over 180 sediment and erosion controls during the course of the wind farm project. Some of the controls included both large and small sediment ponds as well as plus earth bunds which had direct run-offs into the ponds. The use of modern construction techniques that limited the volume of earthworks as well as the strategic construction and placement of such controls throughout the project site allowed the companies involved in the project particularly Meridian Company not only to meet their consent requirements but also to successfully achieve their commitment to high standards of sustainable environmental management. Generally, the ability of the project management team members to including the contractors, client, and the consultants to work together not only enabled the project to overcome a number of challenges but also significantly contributed to the success of the project under the initially allocated budget and way ahead of programme. The Te Uku windfarm turbines have three blades rather than two. It has been proved that the three blades offer the best balance of efficiency, dynamic performance, and construction economics. Additionally, the blades were configured to exploit high wind speeds without being blown away. Their construction must withstand the unpredictable and highly variable environments in order to survive major storms. Lastly, their control systems is safeguard their operations in environments that range from dead calm to gusts of wind with directional and velocity changes that might occur once in a century. For example wind turbines are designed to change their angles through mechanisms that make them to shut down under dangerous conditions. Summary of the Companies that run the Project The entire project was carried out by a highly successful alliance between WEL networks and Meridian with support from a number of sub-contractors and sub-consultants. The other major companies contracted to carry out the project included: Bloxam Burnett & Olliver, Coffey Geotechnics, Hick Bros Civil and Spartan Construction Joint Venture (HSJV) Coffey information All the companies and sub-contractors involved in the project were able to meet their consent requirements by working in close proximity to the economically sensitive areas of the region and eventually overcoming some of the environmental challenges such as the soft alluvial sediments, deeply weathered basalt lava flows as well as the sensitive volcanic ashes of the region. As earlier been noted, Bloxam Burnett & Olliver provided the principal project engineers who were primarily responsible for overseeing the civil engineering design and delivery of construction materials were from Company. On the other hand, the team of geotechnical consultancy for the project including inspections and certification of earthworks and construction of turbine foundations were mainly from Coffey Geotechnics. Generally, the companies that run the project used a number of environmental management tool such as well developed environmental management plans (EMPs) to help mitigate against some of the potential environmental effects of the construction of the Te-Uku wind farm project. For example, prior to the construction, WEL Network’s consultants carried out various assessments that helped identify the need for a diverse range of mitigation measures and better environmental control methods related to the construction, landscape, traffic, cultural heritage and ecology of the area around the project site. Project Impact Assessment Although the wind farm project was intended to be carried out with little or no disruption of the existing operations as well as the ecological balance of the region, it nevertheless resulted in some ecological issues some of which are currently being addressed by the members of the project team from different companies involved. With regard to the potential ecological impacts of the project, the site of the wind farm construction project predominantly consisted of scattered indigenous forests, pasture grasses, weeds, scattered wetland habitats and scrubland. However, it is worth noting that no vulnerable or endangered plant species existed within the area around the find farm. Additionally, although the area contained up to 32 species of birds, a preliminary environmental impact assessment revealed that the site location of the project was not on any major migratory routes. One of the major environmental concerns prior to the commencement of the project was the possibility of the constructions and earthworks resulting in sediment erosion and posing serious environmental concerns due to the nature of the local soil conditions of the area (NRC, 2007). For example, many of the main streams passing through the site of the Te-Uku wind farm are feeding into Bridal falls, one of the most important conservation site in Waikato region and the run offs from the construction area have changed the water color of the falls due to the presence of soil sediments eroded from the earthworks. Fig 2: Disturbance of Soil Sediment by Earthworks Involved in the Project The potential negative environmental impact of the project was particularly attributed to the massive scale of earthworks which involved the movement of nearly 700, 000 cubic meters of cut to waste and cut to fill waste soil materials. These challenges were further compounded by the poor soil quality of the region that were prone to soil erosion. However, the project construction team employed a number of strategies to ensure erosion sediment control from the onset of the project. For example, in order to prevent water runoff from the construction run-offs and their impact on the wetlands and streams within the project site, the project planning and management team lead by Meridian adopted new construction methods that significantly reduced the volume of earthworks needed during the entire project. Additionally, the construction team built and maintained nearly over 180 sediment and erosion controls during the course of the wind farm project in order to help mitigate the potential impact of bulk earthworks as well as stop the sediments from the construction works to enter into the local waterways. Generally, the controls included both large and small sediment ponds as well as plus earth bunds which had direct run-offs into the ponds. In the sediment ponds, the exposed soils are usually hydro-seeded before being covered with hay in order to stimulate grass growth while at the same time controlling soil erosion. The strategic construction and placement of such controls throughout the project site allowed the companies involved in the project particularly Meridian Company not only to meet their consent requirements but also to successfully achieve their commitment to high standards of sustainable environmental management (Harris, 2004). However, these pods required regular maintenance particularly during the times of atrocious weather sometimes forcing the some parts of the site to be closed down. On the other hand, Meridian also currently in the process of planting over 40, 000 native plant seedlings to further help towards improving water quality downstream. Despite some potentially negative impacts of the construction of the wind turbines at e-Uku wind farm project, the project has resulted in a number of significant benefits to the locals as well as to the government by contributing towards the country’s energy self sufficiency goals. One of the major positive contributions of the project is that the community benefited from access roads from Te Mata Quarry into the site and individual turbines to facilitate construction, maintenance of the turbines. Te Uku wind farm is a strategic energy resource within the Waikato region, and it will add energy security locally and regionally. On the other hand, Electricity supply in west of Hamilton city will be stable and the wind farm will reduce carbon dioxide, sulphur and nitrous oxide emissions that would otherwise be produced from fossil fuels to generate electricity in the absence of the farm. Specifically 145000, tons of carbon dioxide emissions will be saved annually in comparison to the conventional energy sources (Coffey, ). In many parts of the world, wind power has been used for generations as a source of power. Its popularity is increasing as the human race searches for alternative sources of energy that does not contribute to global warming and other environmental stresses. Wind energy is economically competitive. It provides the lowest cost of any energy generation source. Once installed it does not require additional inputs to run. The wind farm has positively contributed to the wellbeing of the community. Existing farming activities continue with minimal or no disruption. Stock and pasture were managed during the heavy construction phase .quarrying and new roads. Old fences were removed as new roads and access was made. Temporary fences were made and replaced with permanent ones when the wind farm construction was completed. Local business people were given contracts to supply the infrastructure new roads, foundations and erosion and sediment control at Te Uku. This improved the economy of the local community due to the cash injected into the project. The local school benefited from donations of huge truck tires from Hick Bros and monthly income from the safety seminars held Te Mata. According to Coffey Geotechnics (2011), the local economy benefited from leasing offices and having staff and contractors in raglan during the project. Many locals were employed during the construction phase. The Te Mata quarry opened new resources and modernized its equipment. For example, according to many experts, the region benefitted from over $30 million was injected into the regional economy by site on site employees. The project led to the identification of new fauna and flora. 40,000 native wetlands plants were planted in wetlands significantly improving environment conservation efforts. The windfarm construction required the construction of transmission lines to connect the wind farm to the WEL networks substation. Temporarily works were constructed along the 17-kilometer transmission line. The ground was cleared and restored to existing surface levels and standards. This minimized negative environmental changes in the region (NZ WEA, 2010). Conclusion In conclusion, the benefits of the project outweigh its potential negative effects on the environment. Despite a few negative impacts on the environment, the project has resulted in a number of significant benefits to the locals as well as to the government by contributing towards the country’s energy self sufficiency goals. Generally, the project will not only be able to competently meet the growing energy demand in the region but it has also resulted in improved environment conservation efforts through upgrading of water and waste systems in the region. References Bradley, G. (16 October 2009). Meridian Energy to build 64 megawatt Raglan wind Farm. NZ Herald Newspaper, A3-A8. Coffey Geotechnics. (2011). Te Uku Windfarm Provides Community Benefits. Retrieved on March 16, 2014 from http://www.coffey.com/our-news/latest-news/te-uku-windfarm-provides-community-benefits Harris, R. (2004). Resource Management Act: Handbook of Environmental Law. Wellington: Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand. National Research Council (2007). Environmental Impacts of Wind Energy Projects. Washington: National Academies Press. NZ Wind Energy Association. (2010). Wind Energy Case Study. Retrieved on March 16, 2014 fromhttp://www.windenergy.org.nz/store/doc/Business_and_Community_Opportunities_Case_study.pdf WEL Networks (2009). Introduction and fact sheet". WEL Networks. Retrieved on March 15, 2014 from http://archive.is/RofG WEL Networks (2008). WEL Networks Resource Consent Application. Retrieved on March 15, 2014 wdcapplicationrma_considerations.pdf. . Read More