Chapman Tripp fields cross-practice team to work on 119MW wind farm

The $256m project is a great achievement for the client, the firm says

Chapman Tripp fields cross-practice team to work on 119MW wind farm

Chapman Tripp tapped experts from a wide array of its practice areas to work together on a major wind farm on the North Island.

The top-tier firm advised Mercury on the construction and long-term maintenance of the energy company’s wind farm in Turitea in Palmerston North.

Vestas, the world’s largest wind-turbine manufacturer and supplier, has been given the engineering, construction, and long-term maintenance responsibility for the 119MW wind farm, which, when constructed, will be the country’s third-largest wind farm. Construction of the $256m project is planned to start in August and Mercury has committed to the construction of the first 33 of 60 turbines of the project.

Brian Clayton, construction and major projects partner, headed the cross-practice team that included experts from the firm’s construction, corporate and commercial, and environment, planning, and resource-management teams.

Partner Catherine Somerville-Frost; senior associates Jenny Kenyon, Lauren Curtayne, and Alana Lampitt; and senior solicitors Kylie Mutch and Jeryl-Lyn Govender also worked on the matter.

“We are proud to have acted on this project, which is not only complex but also marks a great achievement for Mercury in adding wind generation to its existing renewable generation portfolio,” Clayton said.

The Chapman Tripp team collaborated with Mercury senior legal counsels Garth Landers and Natasha Strong to deliver the project, the firm said.