Home / Oceania / New Zealand / West Wind

West Wind

Wind power plant in Wellington, New Zealand. Approximate location -41.2335, 174.6971.

WindWellingtonNew Zealand

West Wind is a 143 MW wind power station in Wellington, New Zealand. It is operated by Meridian Energy. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 121,348 homes (estimated). It ranks #12 of 43 New Zealand power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2009, it is around 17 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, wind supplies about 9.7% of New Zealand's electricity; the national grid averages 93 gCO₂/kWh (88.5% low-carbon) (2025).

143MW installed capacity
121,348homes powered (est.)
2009commissioned (~17 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1022454.

Capacity vs largest wind plants in New Zealand

West Wind: 143 MW143West WindTe Apiti: 91 MW91Te ApitiTe Uku: 64 MW64Te UkuMill Creek: 60 MW60Mill CreekWhite Hill: 58 MW58White HillMahinerangi: 36 MW36MahinerangiHai Nui: 7 MW7Hai Nui

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Meridian Energy. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This wind plant converts the kinetic energy of wind into electricity through turbine rotors. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 41.2°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

12.3°Cannual mean temp
2,080heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
154 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 16 °CJF: 16 °CFM: 16 °CMA: 13 °CAM: 11 °CMJ: 9 °CJJ: 8 °CJA: 9 °CAS: 10 °CSO: 12 °CON: 13 °CND: 15 °CD16 °C

Heating degree-days here run 15% below the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 44/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

In colder climates, uninsulated hot equipment (boilers, turbines, valves, steam lines) loses proportionally more heat to ambient air — exactly the loss Inzonex modular insulation is designed to cut.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #1 largest wind power plant of 7 in New Zealand by capacity.

New Zealand has 7 wind power plants in this dataset, together about 459 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -41.2335, 174.6971 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Built from open public data; no personal information. Operate this site? Request a correction or removal.