Kōwhai Park Solar Farm

Status
Operational as of October 2026 

Location
Christchurch Airport campus 

Max Capacity
150MWac

Annual Output
275 GWh

Size of Site
230 hectares 

EPC Contractor
CHINTEC completed the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of the solar farm under a comprehensive EPC contract, with network connection deliverd by Ventia.  

Kōwhai Park solar farm is located on the Christchurch Airport campus and is Contact's first completed solar farm. Developed in joint venture with Lightsource bp, the project is the largest solar farm in the South Island.  

Spanning 230 hectares and comprising around 300,000 solar panels, Kōwhai Park is expected to generate approximately 275GWh of renewable electricity each year, equivalent to the annual electricity demand of around 36,000 Kiwi homes.  

Kōwhai Park is the first operational solar farm in Contact and Lightsource bp's partnership. Together, the businesses also have consented solar projects planned for Taranki and Northland, helping build a more diverse and resilient renewable energy system for Aotearoa.  

Why solar?

On our mission to decarbonise Aotearoa, we need to ensure our portfolio of renewable energy is robust and diverse. We're pleased to have added solar power to our portfolio of renewable electricity for the first time.  

How it works

Solar is a passive form of technology, providing local and sustainable electricity that adds security to the world's energy mix. This, combined with its affordability and reliability, makes it an ideal energy source.  

Each solar panel is made of cells, which convert the light energy from daylight into electrical energy. Daylight from the sun hits a negatively doped silicon layer which 'excites' electrons, effectively 'removing' them from their atoms. This creates a potential difference between the two layers of silicon and stimulates a flow of electrons. The flow generates Direct Current (DC) electricity.  

The benefits

Solar power is the world's fastest growing source of new energy because it has the potential to meet many of the low-carbon challenges we are facing today. It is increasing in popularity because it is cost-competitive, versatile, quick to deploy and kind to our environment.  

• Renewable: Solar panels produce electricity by transforming the continuous flow of energy from the sun to electricity.  
• CO2 free: No harmful emissions are released into the air when electricity is produced.  
• Quick to deploy: Compared with gas or coal power stations that can take decades to develop, solar farms are relatively quick to deploy with construction lasting approximately 12 months.  
• Limited noise: Operates with minimal noise output.  
• Local and clean generation: Lowering the local carbon footprint. 

About our partnership with Lightsource bp

In April 2022, Contact Energy and Lightsource bp formed a joint venture partnership to develop grid-scale solar generation projects in Aotearoa, New Zealand.  

Lightsource bp is a trusted global independent power producer (IPP) delivering end-to-end onshore renewable energy and battery storage solutions.