Waipipi Wind Farm Civil Balance of Plant

No tilting at these windmills

PROJECT: Waipipi Wind Farm Civil Balance of Plant CONTRACTOR: Higgins CLIENT: Tilt Renewables VALUE: $48.5m

Waipipi Wind Farm is a major green energy project near Waverly that will provide electricity to over 70,000 homes each year.

Higgins Contractors successfully completed the Civil Balance of Plant, comprising 24 kilometres of access roads and concrete foundations for 31 turbines. Works ran from September 2019 to mid-June 2021.

Client Tilt Renewables chose Higgins as the most experienced civil contractor in the wind energy sector, having constructed 298 turbines, with zero contract disputes across five wind farm contracts. That experience was called on immediately as the site, in South Taranaki, is prone to liquefaction. To reduce risk, Higgins carried out Dynamic Compaction trials during the ECI phase. Trials proved successful and so began a programme of Dynamic Compaction and Rammed Aggregate Piling ground improvements.

When Covid-19 halted works, Higgins managed the delay by planning an accelerated ground improvement programme across different strings.

Close collaboration with the client, consultants Riley, Golder and Associates, iCubed and Resonant, and other contractors helped deliver the works to programme and budget, with no environmental incidents or onsite LTIs.