Auckland
THE BRIEF
THE OUTCOME
Riley was engaged to provide civil, geotechnical, and hydrological engineering inputs to support Contact Energy’s Southland Wind Farm through the current fast‑track approvals pathway, established under the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024.
The project comprises up to 55 wind turbines with blade‑tip heights of up to 220m, delivering an estimated 300MW of generation capacity across an approximately 5,500ha property in Southland. Our work included detailed site investigations, geometric modelling and earthworks design (including 3d visualisation outputs, targeted to stakeholder engagement), geotechnical and hydrological assessments, and the preparation of draft construction management plans to support the application.
Riley’s technical assessments form a core part of the material considered by the expert consenting panel, supporting the evaluation and mitigation of environmental effects through proposed construction management procedures, tailored to the project. The geometric design went through several iterations to minimise the footprint of the project and avoided ecologically sensitive areas as far as practicable. Throughout the fast‑track process, we have undertaken comprehensive submitter engagement; addressing feedback and RFIs, supporting refinement of draft consent conditions, and providing expert input through panel‑convened conferencing; helping to enable positive outcomes for the project and the environment.
The panel issued their final decision – approving consent for the full 55 wind turbine layout, a fantastic outcome for all involved with the application.
"Riley’s 3D visualisation capability has added real value to the Southland Wind Farm project. The high quality, interactive 3D models created for the project allows the proposed wind farm to be viewed from any perspective and provide a very realistic representation of the terrain and land cover.
The models can be created using both publicly available and project-specific layers – and tailored to the desired requirement or audience. The ability to navigate within the model and assess areas of the proposed project earthworks in context with sensitive landscape and ecological areas has been extremely helpful in communicating visual and ecological effects in a clear and accessible way.
The models have been used with a variety of project stakeholders, both internal and external, and the feedback has consistently been extremely positive."
Steve Harding – Roaring40s Wind Power Ltd
“The design of the wind turbine access tracks and turbine hardstands for the SWF was a very iterative process, particularly in an ecologically sensitive part of the site where the impact on wetlands needed to be avoided as much as practicable, and minimised where avoidance was not possible. Riley’s 3D modelling capability and in-depth understanding of wind farm construction logistics enabled them to not only provide dependable and robust advice, but this advice was provided in a quick and efficient manner, which ultimately led to a cost-effective process.”
Paul Botha – Roaring40s Wind Power Ltd