Export of Windflow Technology wind turbine

  • Phil Heatley
Energy and Resources

Many thanks for inviting me to join you in marking this important milestone for Windflow Technology.

It is great to be here and it’s great to see an innovative New Zealand company take off  into the global energy market with the first wind turbine to be exported from New Zealand. 

Renewable energy is going to play an increasing role in our energy future. Our target is for 90 per cent of electricity to be generated from renewable sources by 2025. In 2011, 77 per cent of New Zealand’s electricity was renewable - beyond that of most countries.

New Zealand already has over 600 MW of operating wind generation. There are positive signs for the wind industry in the latest New Zealand Energy Outlook, with capacity forecast to more than double over the next 18 years. The report estimates that wind farm capacity will produce close to 10 per cent of the country’s electricity by 2030.

New Zealand’s dynamic and world-class wind resource provides the opportunity for niche companies like Windflow Technology to develop products and services for domestic use but also for export.

Our renewable expertise has advanced to the point where we are successfully offering our skills to a number of overseas clients and we are a major player in enhancing the role of renewable energy worldwide.

It is great to see Windflow Technology breaking into the competitive international market.  Investment by New Zealand energy companies in overseas markets is an important aspect of growing New Zealand wind technology and further developing the capability and maturity of New Zealand’s wind industry.

As the sole manufacturer of wind turbines in New Zealand, your achievement marks an important occasion for New Zealand’s wind and manufacturing industries.

IMaking the leap into international commercialisation is not an easy one for any company; this is therefore an important juncture for Windflow. The construction of this turbine, destined for Westray, one of the Orkney Islands in Scotland, is a significant step in developing future sales opportunities in the United Kingdom.

I wish Windflow all the best with this project and their future endeavours.