He said the Twin Rivers Solar Farm in Pamapuria is a 31 MWp project that can produce enough electricity to power 6,000 homes or 25,000 electric vehicles for a year.

Contracts for the Twin Rivers project have been awarded to GE Vernova and INTEC Energy Solutions. The project is under a long-term easement agreement with the landowner and construction will begin this month.

Foden said Rānui Generation was acquired by Singapore-based renewable energy investor SC Oscar in June.

SC Oscar completed the acquisition through its SC Renewable Energy Plus Fund 1 Limited Partnership (Fund) with the approval of the New Zealand Overseas Investment Office in October 2023. SC Oscar intends to finance the construction of the four photovoltaic power plants under development, which will together deliver a capacity of 157 MWp.

He said there will be employment opportunities for Far North residents with many of the district’s contractors.

SC Oscar has raised $220 million in offshore investment for Rānui to build a portfolio of renewable energy projects.

Foden said the Twin Rivers solar project – with a total cost of around $40 million – is the first of several solar projects that SC Oscar plans to finance. With the support of the fund, Rānui Generation will accelerate the development of its three other solar projects, which are scheduled to begin construction in 2025.

“The start of construction on the Twin Rivers solar project represents an important milestone in the development of renewable energy infrastructure in Northland. Working with local communities, we are excited to be able to provide much-needed energy to a region of New Zealand that has traditionally faced some of the highest electricity tariffs.”

He said the district, along with two other solar parks in the far north, was considered ideal for such infrastructure because the long hours of sunshine made it ideal for solar parks.

“In the north there is plenty of sun.”

The system also has enough capacity to feed the solar power into the Top Energy grid, with which Rānui works. Top Energy has expansion plans to use some of the spare capacity.

“This (solar park) will take up most of the remaining capacity unless there is a massive expansion of the grid.”

Foden said the company had been working on the Pamapuria plan for three years and it was exciting to finally be able to start work.

He said the solar panels to be used on the land – which is earmarked for cattle – would be placed high above the ground so that sheep could graze underneath, and the company had also given the neighbouring Te Paatu Marae the opportunity to use the land for grazing.

“Cows cannot be kept there because they would rub against the (solar panel) poles and possibly damage them, but sheep can be kept there well.”

Foden said electricity prices in the Far North were among the highest in the country and it was hoped the solar farms, along with Top Energy’s Ngawha expansion, would lead to falling electricity prices in the region.

He said all of the power from Twin Rivers Farm would be available for use in the far north.

A recent report from Boston Consulting Group highlighted the need for a $10.2 billion investment in renewable energy generation in New Zealand this decade. Foden said this landmark deal showed that this figure was far from insurmountable, and that it was up to forward-thinking New Zealanders to create the models and opportunities that would attract the necessary investment in the years to come.

Work on the Far North Solar Farm, which has the capacity to power up to 2,000 homes, will begin generating power early next year after construction began at the Pukenui site in April.

The solar farm will cover 19 hectares on Lamb Road and produce 20.8 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 2000 homes. It will have 35,000 solar panels that will harvest solar energy and generate enough renewable electricity to take around 1,635 cars off the country’s roads.

The site is on land previously used for grazing and was specifically chosen because it is flat and is adjacent to the Pukenui substation, from where electricity is fed into Top Energy’s distribution network.

Northland is set to become a hotspot for solar farms, with further farms planned in Ruawai, Maungaturoto and Ruakākā.