text: The Turitea wind farm site is located in the Tararua Ranges near Palmerston North, in the Manawatu-Wanganui region. Mercury was pleased to have been selected by Palmerston North City Council in 2005 to develop on the site at Turitea, particularly as several member of our leadership team including our Chief Executive Fraser Whineray, and many others at Mercury, have ties with the region.
  Our journey to Turitea
  This journey started 15 years ago when we committed to a strategy of adding wind generation to our portfolio of renewable generation assets. Here are some of the key milestones along the way.
  Agreement is signed to commence works on the first 33 turbines.
  Good news is in from the monitoring efforts and we start talking to locals, council, and iwi.
  The Board of Inquiry grants consents for a 60 turbine project at Turitea.
  Wind monitoring equipment is installed at the location to assess viability.
  The Board of Inquiry begins its hearing on the consent application.
  Mercury creates a wind strategy and 12 months later, establishes a wind team.
  Wind: Facts and figures
  We're looking forward to bringing wind generation at the Turitea wind farm into the mix as we work towards New Zealand's low carbon future.
  We have 5 geothermal stations through the central North Island. Base-load geothermal runs at full capacity about 95% of the time.
  We have 9 hydro stations on the Waikato River. These stations are powered by water and output can be changed quickly and efficiently.
  Mercury's solar farm and R+D Centre sits on the site of the former gas-fired Southdown power station to help us learn more about this energy source.