ECan Left Waiting For Advice On Large Solar Farms

Monday, 10 February 2025, 9:05 pm
Article: David Hill - Local Democracy Reporter

Canterbury's regional council is none the wiser on how to respond to large-scale solar farm applications, after seeking advice from a government agency last year.

An Environment Canterbury (ECan) spokesperson said the council had yet to receive ''any feedback or direction" from the Ministry for the Environment regarding the handling of large-scale solar farm applications.

It follows ECan giving its support in May 2024 to an Environment Protection Authority proposal to ask the Environment Minister to 'call-in' a consent application for a large-scale solar farm in the Mackenzie district.

The environment minister can be asked to 'call-in' the decision-making process for resource consents when it is considered a proposal of national significance.

The consent application can then be referred to the Environment Court or a board of enquiry to make the decision.

At the time ECan hoped the 'call-in' process would provide feedback on how it might respond to future applications for large-scale solar farms, particularly concerns around environmental effects.

However, the application for the large-solar farm has been included in the government's Fast-track Approvals Act, which could potentially speed up the process.

Critics have raised concerns that the legislation doesn't give enough consideration to environmental considerations.

In June last year, ECan chairperson Craig Pauling said if the solar farm went ahead, it would be the largest in New Zealand and could set a precedent for how such consents are considered in the future.

When the council first learned the application was being considered as a Fast-track project, Pauling expressed concern.

''It has raised some very important discussion because when we put this through, we had the Environment Court and other processes in front of us, which we have had experience with,'' he said last year.

''But now we are looking at new legislation which we don't know what it looks like.''

A Ministry for the Environment spokesperson said under the new legislation applicants can choose whether to seek approval via the fast-track process or the resource consents process under the Resource Management Act (RMA).

Under the Fast-track process projects are considered by an ''expert panel'', with councils, such as ECan, invited to give feedback.

''Expert panels will be responsible for deciding conditions for the project if they decide to grant it,'' the spokesperson said.

''Under the RMA, Environment Canterbury is responsible for considering applications and setting conditions for consent.''

Under the legislation, the expert panel is required to consider environmental impacts.

Far North Solar Farm Ltd applied to ECan and the Mackenzie District Council for resource consents in 2023 to establish and operate a large-scale, 670ha, solar farm on a 968ha property near Twizel.

At its peak, the proposed solar farm would generate 420 megawatts of electricity, which was around four percent of New Zealand's total electricity generation capacity in 2022.

The company has also applied to ECan and the Hurunui District Council for resource consents to build a 180.8ha solar farm near Waipara.

Those applications are on hold while the councils seek more information.

Consent applications for two solar farms are being considered by the Waimakariri District Council, while a third was approved last year.

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

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