MainPower is excited to confirm construction of a solar farm at Thongcaster Road will begin next month.
The MainPower Board approved construction and received the required consents for a 7.3MW solar farm on our 10-hectare site at Thongcaster Road. When complete, the site will produce enough energy to power approximately 1,250 local homes via MainPower’s distribution network.
Acting Chief Executive Damien Whiffen says Lightyears Solar Ltd has been awarded the Engineering, Procurement and Construction contract and will begin work on the Thongcaster Road site in October.
“Lightyears is passionate about building high-quality, community-scale solar farms to generate low-cost, renewable electricity. The company’s belief that these are vital to address energy poverty in our country, as a driver for economic growth, and to help mitigate climate change aligns with MainPower’s drive to decarbonise our place and prepare for the new energy future,” says Mr Whiffen.
“We’re really pleased to be working with MainPower to bring more solar power to North Canterbury,” says Lightyears’ director and co-founder, Matt Shanks.
“This will be the fourth solar farm we are building in Canterbury, and we are pleased this project will be contributing to the energy needs of the community, and also providing economic benefit to the community via MainPower Trust. Solar farms are well suited to Canterbury as one of the few places in New Zealand that have a summer peak energy load due to irrigation.”
Mr Whiffen says MainPower has been consulting with the local community since the beginning of the project.
“We sincerely appreciate the support and input from our immediate neighbours during the planning stages of this project. While the project will see an increase in traffic movements in the area for a short time, the longer term benefits of the solar farm for the community and the network are significant.”
Work will begin soon with the planting of the perimeter screen and delivery of materials to site and piling to set the frames for the photovoltaic panels. Construction of the solar farm is expected to be completed by the end of May 2026.
“MainPower is committed to investing in renewable energy to assist the local community, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and help New Zealand meet its carbon reduction goals. The Thongcaster Road Solar Farm is a key investment for MainPower and our network,” Mr Whiffen says.
“MainPower has been distributing electricity to the North Canterbury region for around 100 years. Our network area spans from the Waimakariri River, through the Waimakariri and Hurunui districts to Kaikōura. This solar farm project is directly aligned with our MPowered Future strategic objective of decarbonising our place and creating a sustainable future for our region.
