Solar project developer Lightsource bp has commenced construction of its 168MW Kōwhai Park solar PV project in Christchurch, New Zealand, days after securing financing.
The developer confirmed that it broke ground on the project on Tuesday (27 August) after it had secured NZ$267 million (US$162 million) two weeks ago (15 August) to fund its construction.
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The financing package was secured from various international banks, including Westpac New Zealand, Mizuho, China Construction Bank, and Intesa Sanpaolo—IMICIB.
Situated at Christchurch Airport, the Kōwhai Park project will power the international airport with around 300,000 solar modules once it is completed in 2026. It is being developed in partnership with Contact Energy and will connect to electricity distribution company Orion New Zealand’s 66kV distribution network.
Adam Pegg, managing director of APAC at Lightsource bp, opened the construction of the project at a ceremony and stated that the company is “committed to delivering low-cost, reliable energy solutions for New Zealand”, a country currently experiencing an energy crisis.
“We’ve built strong partnerships with both Contact Energy and Christchurch Airport, and we’re proud to lead such an important and complex project for the region,” Pegg added.
Engineering, procurement, and construction contractor CHINTEC has been engaged in constructing the solar PV project, and infrastructure service provider Ventia will deliver all network connection infrastructure.
The solar PV project will also be the initial phase of creating the wider Kōwhai Park Eco-system, which is being developed on 400 hectares of land beside the runways of Christchurch Airport.
The Airport hopes to secure additional investment from businesses and organisations looking to capitalise on developing renewable energy generation projects and support the Airport’s decarbonisation journey.
Christchurch Airport is looking to incorporate several renewable energy technologies to support the local economy and its energy transition. Indeed, its ecosystem plan aims to develop liquid hydrogen production with an on-site electrolyser, electric ground charging for electric vehicle (EV) fleets, vertical farming assets, and data centres.
These are often energy-intensive, with the Irish data centre boom consuming around 17% (5.3TWh) of the country’s generated electricity across 2022, for example.
