TeUku Wind Farm Project Analysis - Assignment Example

Te Uku - Wind Farm Project al Affiliation Te Uku - Wind Farm Project Introduction TeUku wind farm project is one of the expansion strategies of the WEL Electricity Networks which was built by the Meridian Company. The main motive of its construction is to increase the production of electricity in New Zealand to cub the increasing demand. Consisting of 28 turbines, it will add 64.4 megawatts into the power grid. The project will take place near the town of Raglan that is in the remote sections of the country. The location has been strategically chosen due to its low population levels (Te Uku wind farm wind Site of the Year, 2010). The regional government has been investing in the energy sector and has contributed $30 million to fund the project. Meridian has partnered with other firms to come up with an environmentally friendly project. Many critics are against the use of wind energy to produce electricity due to its environmental hazards. With partners such as WEL networks, Siemens NZ, NZ Cranes and Transdiled Services, the project has been executed to perfection. The project was accomplished in 2010 and all turbines started producing electricity within a period of one year. Distribution of the electricity is facilitated by WEL Networks which also distributes electricity from other sources such as hydroelectric dams. The project has earned several awards since it begun its construction based on location, production and mostly environmental conservation. Overview of the project in an energy, sustainability, & economic context The project has been considered as a major strategy in Zealand since it will lead to other minor projects. It has various benefits to the country which include political, economic, technological and social (Project TeUku Wind farm, 2006). With the stabilization in the energy sector, the country is prone to many developments since energy is New Zealands economic backbone. Its construction will also lead to building of a road network that will help in transportation of the farmers’ inputs and outputs. Project Planning and Management Project planning is important prior to the implementation of the suggested plans since it contributes to the implementation of the project. The plans range from the time used to implement the program to the way of construction of the turbines to the final preparations before electricity is produced. TeUku being a national project had undergone all the requirements to ensure that it was successful. Planning The planning process consists of the timeline for the project, funding and review of the set opportunities. It also included highlighting the projects goals and objectives. The project began in 2010 where the first turbine foundations were constructed. It also facilitated the building of roads to help in the area to facilitate transportation of raw materials. Road construction would begin before positioning of the turbine foundations. A road network 26 kilometers long was built in 2009, a year before construction of the turbines. Cable networks were also to be started in the same year to connect the 28 construction sites for the turbines. It would make work easy and save time since electricity production would begin as soon as the turbine constructions were through. There were also plans to evacuate and compensate individuals whose land was part of the construction site. The regional government was to ensure that they were compensated and moved to areas where sound radiations would not affect their health. With the aim of providing a constant supply, the government facilitated project funding. A self-governing committee was implemented to monitor resources, which would also ensure that the funds were being used appropriately. The funds would be released in the agreed periods. TeUku was a large project hence needed that the chosen geographical area would be suitable for setting up wind turbine towers which were up to 130 meters tall. The place was jointly chosen by the involved parties after a series of studies and research on the area. After the funds had been provided for and a location chosen, there was a need for contractors to come up with a construction plan. The contractors were to be classified according to the type of service offered. There were technological firms, electrical contractors, road contractors and contractors to build the turbines. The construction plans stated that Hicks Bros and Spartan Construction would start and manage the turbine construction process. Management It involves controlling and monitoring the project implementation process. WEL Networks Company, whose main role was to monitor proper use of funds, headed management of the TeUku project. It was also to manage other construction firms and ensure all actions went as earlier planned. The set plans were based on SWOT analysis. It consisted of strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats which were the internal factors affecting the project. External factors were based on the PESTEL analysis. It involved the political, technological, environmental, social and legal factors. The project had to follow the set policies governing the environment. Conservation of the environment was the leading governing factor during construction. Dumping of waste from the construction site had to be done in the set procedure. Monitoring also aided in the conservation of the environment whereby before turbine construction began, they had to prevent soil erosion in the area. Most of the land was sloppy rising to 400 feet above sea level. Meridian was allocated the conservation process where it had to build and manage sediment controls for soil erosion. The management process continued after the completion of the turbine constructions to ensure that their radiation levels were monitored. Environmental Management tools Before the beginning of the project, different researches were carried out hand reports presented to the project officials. The main purpose of the research was come up with environmental management tools, which would help in conservation of the environment during and after the construction process. After the report was presented, various firms were allocated roles to ensure that the environment conservation standards were reached. WEL Wind Park came up with solutions for some of the environmental risks that would come up due to the wind turbines. The environmental management tools can be classified into several fields including environmental engineering that consists of technological ways to conserve the environment. Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) New Zealand has set it EMI at very low rates that had to be followed by the turbine contractors in the project. Moreover, since it had not been reported in other wind projects, the TeUku project had to ensure that the radiation levels would not be risky to living organisms around the area. EMI occurs when radiations from the turbines affect other radio waves in the atmosphere (Chisholm, 2006). However, the contractors will adopt modern motors to turn the turbines hence reducing EMI. Additionally, radiations from the turbines may also lead to diffraction and reflection of radio waves. Diffraction includes partially blocking radio waves while reflection occurs when radio waves are bounced back by the turbine towers (Chisholm, 2006). Pollution and soil erosion prevention Prevention of soil erosion is also another tool that has been used to conserve the environment. Meridian has provided for the construction of gabions to cub soil erosion. It has also planted trees that will as an initiative to improve weather patterns in the area. Pollution will also be prevented through proper waste disposal methods. Environmentally Conscious Designs They include turbine designs such as the blades which will weigh lesser to reduce the number magnitude of the radiation. They will also rotate in winds of up to 14 kilometers per hour hence work in any weather conditions. The turbine towers will be made narrower than before, therefore, reducing the exposed mass that comes into contact with birds and other flying organisms (Kessels, 2002). Meridian will ensure the implementation of these tools leading to the production of environmentally clean energy. BENEFITS OF THE PROJECT Creation of employment The project led to direct and indirect creation of employment opportunities. It led to the employment of 830 people whereby 51% were locals from Waikato (Project TeUku Wind farm, 2006). It also indirectly led to employment of individuals by the partnering firms that worked with Meridian. Those who were employed at the site were able to save extra money leading to investments and improved standards of living. The project indirectly led to economic stability during the two year period that the constructions took place. Workers ranged from service providers, waste management providers, couriers, caterers, technicians among others. Increased immigration into the area due to employment led to the development of the area through building of shopping malls, gas stations, markets and food outlets. It also led to social integration since the workers were from different firms. Social interaction caused the promotion of peace in the country. Development the stone quarry Road construction needed raw material that could be locally available to save on costs. There was the presence of a quarry near the project site that was upgraded to provide stones for the road construction. Its expansion had a high significance to the owners since after the construction was completed; the quarrys output was increased to over 200,000 tons. Some of the stones were used to lay foundation for the turbine towers. After departure of Meridian and its partners, the quarry was left to the initial owners who use it to supply stones to the whole region as a source of income. Good relationships The projects workers were very friendly and donated school tires to a nearby school which children would use to play. The school responded by cooking breakfast for the workers once a month. They prevented pollution since the tires were not disposed of by burning as it was done in other similar projects. The relationships also led to social interaction where workers lived and interacted with local neighbors. Some of the construction workers rented the TE Mata school house during the construction period. Planting of trees and native plants During the planning process, two wetlands were identified on the projects location (Gumbley, 2006). After construction, they were planted with more than 40000 native plants (Te Uku wind farm wind Site of the Year, 2010). The plants were obtained from Whaingaroa Harbor Care. The trees would help conserve the environment and also become habitats to several animal species. The vegetation has also contributed to a great scenery attracting tourists from several destinations. Contribution to New Zealand’s power grid The project will help the country to meet its future energy demands caused by the increasing population. Upon its completion, TeUku will power more than 30,000 households, therefore, increase energy security in New Zealand. Energy is the main element of economic stability since it is used in the running of industries and organizations. Energy from the project will be used to power homes and businesses that are income sources for most of the households. Environmental conservation TeUku will help preserve the environment through production of clean energy. The project will use energy to turn turbines that will produce electrical power unlike the burning of carbon fuel to produce electricity. It has also been strategically located where harmful radiations from the turbines affect nearby farmers. Planting of trees also contributes to conserving the environment by attracting rain and air purification. The project has been awarded due to its efforts to conserve the environment. Provision of cheap energy The project will provide cheap and adequate energy since wind is a natural resource. It also uses turbine blades with a range of speed limitations. They can rotate with low weed speeds unlike other sources of power such as hydro dams. The amount of electricity produced in hydroelectric dams depends on the water levels. Adoption of wind projects will lead to a reduction in electricity charges in New Zealand. Tourist attraction site The design of the wind turbines and plantations of new plant species attracted people from other towns both locally and internationally. Currently, New Zealand has five wind farm projects, which soon became tourist attractions due to their scenery. Fund obtained from these activities would be used to manage the road networks in the area that was vital in the transportation of farm produce to the nearby markets. NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF THE PROJECT Noise pollution The turbine blades produce vibration while rotating at high speeds leading to noise (Hegley, 2009). According to Meridian, they were expected to produce fewer vibrations due to the technology used. However, considering the numbers of the turbines, 28, can produce noises heard by individuals within a radius of one mile from the turbines locations. High levels of Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) were also recorded in the area despite the use of improved technology. Research on noise pollution was carried out for a period of one month and the time with was the highest noises were between 7:30 AM and 6:00 PM (Hegley, 2009). Most of the highest wind speeds were also recorded in a similar period which led increased vibrations. Construction noise was also part of the noise pollution. Steel was used for most of the construction works produced much noises when it came into contact with other metals (Hegley, 2009). Displacement The projects location led to the displacement of some of the farmers who had cattle ranches in the area. To some of them, it was their ancestral land which had been owned for generations. Most of the farmers claimed that despite the government compensating for the land, it would not compensate for their cultural ties to the land. There was also displacement of plants and animals whose habitat was the farmlands. Placing the plants in other regions did not make sure that they would meet the same environmental conditions as they did in Raglan. A threat to birds and other living organisms Despite the contractors efforts to move animals and birds to new habitats, the turbine towers soon became a threat to migrating animals and birds. Birds from the South find it had to fly through this area since most of them are killed by the turbine blades. Dead birds have been found around the bases of the turbine towers which show that they came into contact with the blades rotating at a high speed. Birds do not have definite migration patterns and may change their course without warning leading to catastrophic results in Waikato farms. Rodents such as mice and rats who would easily find their mate in the region faced barriers that would prevent their movement. The turbine foundations were up to 18 meters wide hence 28 of them would lead to a barrier half a kilometer long. Despite the efforts to move the animals to one habitat, most species required had prior mating patterns which would include migration of the animals. Vibration caused by the turbine blades while revolving at high speeds would prove fatal to animals such as bats that use vibrations and waves for directional purposes. They would also affect the radio waves used by some animals for sight by diffracting them or reflecting them Criticism Environmentalists criticized the project claiming that the wind power projects made the countryside look ugly. The turbines soon became barriers that affected the observation patterns by the farmers. Researches proved that some farmers were not happy with the unpleasant sights from the turbines. By the time Waikato Electricity Limited (WEL) will be completing future wind projects, the whole of New Zealands countryside would be ugly from the turbines view. Conclusion The project was completed based of the set plans and was able to meet the goals and objectives. It would increase electricity output in New Zealands national grid leading to economic and technological advancements in the country. However, the projects management committee should come up with ways on how to reduce the negative consequences of the wind turbines in future projects. Projects on new untapped sources of energy such as the use of tidal waves should be implemented due to the reduced risk to living organisms. Finally, TeUku would change the lifestyles by facilitating income generating projects in the country. References Chisholm, D. (2006, March 6). Appendix F. Compatibility with Radio Services. Retrieved March 31, 2014, from https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?cid=579E0276DD0B6BCD&resid=579E0276DD0B6BCD!850&app=WordPdf&authkey=!AqN8GhIt6x89YyM&wdo=1 Gumbley, W. (2006, February 26). Appendix G . Assessment of Archaeological Issues CFG Heritage . Retrieved March 31, 2014, from https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?cid=579E0276DD0B6BCD&resid=579E0276DD0B6BCD!851&app=WordPdf&authkey=!AqN8GhIt6x89YyM&wdo=1 Hegley, N. (2009, February 1). Appendix B. ASSESSMENT OF NOISE EFFECTS. Retrieved March 31, 2014, from https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?cid=579E0276DD0B6BCD&resid=579E0276DD0B6BCD!846&app=WordPdf&authkey=!AqN8GhIt6x89YyM&wdo=1 Project TeUku Wind farm. (2006, June 20). Locations, benefits and consequences. Retrieved March 31, 2014, from https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?cid=579E0276DD0B6BCD&resid=579E0276DD0B6BCD!843&app=WordPdf&authkey=!AqN8GhIt6x89YyM&wdo=1 Te Uku wind farm wind Site of the Year. (2010, August 17). "Site of the Year. Retrieved March 31, 2014, from https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?cid=579E0276DD0B6BCD&resid=579E0276DD0B6BCD!842&app=WordPdf&authkey=!AqN8GhIt6x89YyM&wdo=1 Kessels, G. (2002, February 26). Appendix C. ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT Wharauroa Plateau, Te Uku . Retrieved March 31, 2014, from https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?cid=579E0276DD0B6BCD&resid=579E0276DD0B6BCD!847&app=WordPdf&authkey=!AqN8GhIt6x89YyM&wdo=1 Wind turbine stats. (n.d.). Weight, height and speed of turbines. Retrieved March 31, 2014, from https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?cid=579E0276DD0B6BCD&resid=579E0276DD0B6BCD!845&app=WordPdf&authkey=!AqN8GhIt6x89YyM&wdo=1 Read More