Christchurch Airport launches new renewable energy park
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Posted: 1 December 2021 | International Airport Review | No comments yet
Christchurch Airport has launched its new renewable energy KÅwhai Park, to support future development of green fuel production for land and air transport.
KÅwhai Park has been launched today (1 December 2021) with Energy Minister Megan Woods, Climate Change Minister, James Shaw, and Christchurch Mayor, Lianne Dalziel, planting two kÅwhai trees on its site, next to the century old kÅwhai the park is named after.
The Park will scale up over the next 30 years and Phase One will deliver a 220-hectare solar array capable of generating 150MW of electricity (enough to power 30,000 homes, or around 20 per cent of Christchurchâs current residential electricity use) on the airport campus. This will support future development of green fuel production for land and air transport, green data centres, and green vertical farming.
Australian renewable energy fund, Solar Bay, is committing $100 million to the development of Phase One. Investment Director Jack Sherratt said New Zealanders can be extremely proud of Christchurch Airportâs (CHC) initiative: “There is nothing else like this in New Zealand â itâs innovative, far ahead of its time and absolutely world-leading in every sense. The Phase One solar array is 50 times larger than any existing array in the country â and itâs just the beginning. This will accelerate Canterburyâs low carbon future.”
Christchurch Airport Chief Executive Malcolm Johns, said KÅwhai Park is part of the airportâs plan to become climate positive over the coming decade and to maintain its world leading position on sustainability.
Johns added: “Over the past decade, our team has systematically decarbonised our business. Weâve reduced 85 per cent of our direct emissions and weâre on track to be carbon zero well before the cityâs goal of 2030 and New Zealandâs goal of 2050. We want to enable the rest of the economy to decarbonise at the fastest possible rate. That is what KÅwhai Park is about.”
Malcolm Johns further said that KÅwhai Park will deliver green energy so other businesses can transition.
âAs we decarbonise, demand on our renewable energy supply is expected to increase by 68 per cent. KÅwhai Park will, over time, help meet that additional demand and provide a resilient supply of renewable energy Canterbury and New Zealand can rely on.
âIt will also assist aviation to decarbonise and decouple from fossil fuels. In New Zealand weâre likely to see both electric and hydrogen-fuelled planes on our domestic routes over the next few decades. KÅwhai Park can support this transition at Christchurch,â commented Johns.
Sherratt added: âItâs in close proximity to New Zealandâs second largest city, the Canterbury Plains are flat and sunny, and the park has Orionâs lines network (supplying Christchurch) on one side and Transpowerâs national grid pylons on the other. Itâs the ultimate site.â
Johns further discussed how KÅwhai Park is beyond just solar and is a platform of scale to enable multi sector energy transition in Canterbury and nationally over many decades.
Related topics
Airport development, Airside operations, Emissions, Sustainability, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), Sustainable development, Terminal operations