A small wind farm of two turbines on the Chatham Islands (Rēkohu), was commissioned in June 2010, but in 2018, the turbines failed and have not operated since.

The original wind farm consisted of two 225kW Vergnet machines, which were integrated with the existing diesel generation plant on the island. The turbines were two-bladed machines designed in France.  During its operational stage, the wind farm supplied electricity to the 260 residential and commercial customers on the main island in the Chatham’s.  Since their failure, the residents have had to rely exclusively on very expensive diesel powered electricity generation. In May 2024, a new wind farm was consented with larger and more modern turbines that are suitable for the specialised climate.  The 2024 consent allows the installation of three 500kW machines which will have a combined total capacity of 1.5MW.  This is three times the installed capacity of the old wind farm.

Location

To see the wind turbine, change the view to satellite and zoom in.