Renewable energy

The government has set the goal of having all electricity generated in New Zealand from renewable sources by 2035.

MainPower has been investigating options for renewable distributed generation in and around the North Canterbury region since 2004. In that time, we have built a mini-hydro station at Cleardale and gained resource consent for a wind farm at Mt Cass.

To find out more, or for a price comparison, contact our team on 03 311 8411 or email support@kakarikipower.co.nz

We’re here to help. Get in touch if you need help. Or, check out our FAQs.

Cleardale mini-hydro

MainPower has a generation facility at Cleardale on the north flank of Mount Hutt near the Rakaia River. It generates around 4 million kWh annually, enough to power 500 homes. The station diverts up to 450 l/s of water from Little River, transporting it 2.3 km via a pipeline to power a pelton wheel turbine.

Mt Cass Wind Farm

MainPower holds resource consent for a wind farm on the Mt Cass ridge, in Waipara, North Canterbury. The wind farm will stretch 7.5 km at elevations of 400–560 m and will produce 93 MW of energy, enough to power 40,000 homes. Once complete, The Mt Cass Wind Farm will be the largest wind farm in the South Island, offsetting 100,000 tonnes of CO2.
Visit the Mt Cass Wind Farm website for more information.

Have any questions about renewable energy at MainPower?

Please visit the Mt Cass Wind Farm website by following the link below.

Important notifications

Hot water load testing under way ahead of winter

Until mid‑April, we’re working closely with retailers to carry out hot water load testing as we prepare our network for the coming winter season.

These tests run for a couple of hours each day, Monday to Friday, with no testing taking place over weekends. Because each test window is relatively short, customers are unlikely to notice any changes to their hot water supply.

The purpose of this work is to help us better understand how much controllable load is available during the summer months. Gaining accurate insights now means we can model customer savings more effectively by reducing system load at peak times. It also helps us assess whether this load flexibility could assist Transpower in deferring an upcoming local transmission upgrade.

This testing is an important part of ensuring a resilient, efficient network that supports our community.

MainPower Trust elections

Voting is open for the 2026 MainPower Trust election.

Voting packs have been emailed or posted by Electionz.com to everyone who pays a power bill on the MainPower network. You need to have the unique ID provided to cast your vote.

If you haven’t received a voting pack, or can’t find it, you can get a replacement by contacting iro@electionz.com.  For full details of the candidates, visit mainpowertrust.co.nz/trustee-elections/

Make the most of this opportunity to have your say on the future of MainPower – and your community.

Voting closes midday Friday 6 March 2026. 

Privacy Policy

Is your outage not listed?

Troubleshoot your outage
Treat all lines as live during the outage period; power may be restored at any time. If you require further information, please call MainPower’s 24-hour faults line. To report an emergency, call 111.

Outage notifications

Hot water load testing under way ahead of winter

Until mid‑April, we’re working closely with retailers to carry out hot water load testing as we prepare our network for the coming winter season.

These tests run for a couple of hours each day, Monday to Friday, with no testing taking place over weekends. Because each test window is relatively short, customers are unlikely to notice any changes to their hot water supply.

The purpose of this work is to help us better understand how much controllable load is available during the summer months. Gaining accurate insights now means we can model customer savings more effectively by reducing system load at peak times. It also helps us assess whether this load flexibility could assist Transpower in deferring an upcoming local transmission upgrade.

This testing is an important part of ensuring a resilient, efficient network that supports our community.

MainPower Trust elections

Voting is open for the 2026 MainPower Trust election.

Voting packs have been emailed or posted by Electionz.com to everyone who pays a power bill on the MainPower network. You need to have the unique ID provided to cast your vote.

If you haven’t received a voting pack, or can’t find it, you can get a replacement by contacting iro@electionz.com.  For full details of the candidates, visit mainpowertrust.co.nz/trustee-elections/

Make the most of this opportunity to have your say on the future of MainPower – and your community.

Voting closes midday Friday 6 March 2026. 

Privacy Policy

Is your outage not listed?

Troubleshoot your outage
Treat all lines as live during the outage period; power may be restored at any time. If you require further information, please call MainPower’s 24-hour faults line. To report an emergency, call 111.

Quick links