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White Hill

Wind power plant in Southland, New Zealand. Approximate location -45.7353, 168.2384.

WindSouthlandNew Zealand

White Hill is a 58 MW wind power plant in Southland, New Zealand. It is operated by Meridian Energy. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 49,356 homes (estimated). It ranks #31 of 43 New Zealand power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2007, it is around 19 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).

58MW installed capacity
49,356homes powered (est.)
2007commissioned (~19 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1022457.

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 45.7°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.5°Cannual mean temp
3,102heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
326 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 14 °CJF: 14 °CFM: 13 °CMA: 10 °CAM: 7 °CMJ: 4 °CJJ: 4 °CJA: 6 °CAS: 8 °CSO: 10 °CON: 11 °CND: 13 °CD14 °C

Heating degree-days here run 26% above 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: 65/100 — 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 #5 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 -45.7353, 168.2384 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

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