Contact Energy’s fast-track proposal for the 55-turbine Slopedown wind farm was shot down by an independent consenting panel last week because it was not satisfied adverse effects on significant indigenous vegetation and the habitats of indigenous species could be properly mitigated.
Contact had predicted the project, near Wyndham, would create up to 240 new jobs during construction and power 150,000 homes when operational.
Mr Bishop declined to comment on the panel’s decision.
"It wouldn’t be appropriate to comment on the decisions of independent expert consenting panels, especially as Contact may apply to use the new Fast Track Approvals Act, in which I am a decision-maker."
However, "true to its purpose", the fast-track approvals scheme was moving at pace and already beginning to deliver, he said.
"Since applications opened just over a month ago the first three major projects have been assessed by the EPA [Environmental Protection Authority] as complete to go to expert panels."
These projects were an extension of the Bledisloe North Wharf and Fergusson North Berth at the Ports of Auckland; the Delmore development, which would provide 1250 residential dwellings in Auckland; and Maitahi Village — a planned development in Nelson comprising about 180 residential dwellings (50 being iwi-led housing), a commercial centre and a retirement village with about 194 townhouses and 36 in-care facility units.
"These projects have the potential to stimulate the economy, get us the infrastructure we need, create jobs and inject money into our local economies and regions.
"Our intention is that fast-track will help projects with substantial value for New Zealanders to get into flight, unhindered by our country’s to-date stifling consenting processes, where appropriate.
"New Zealanders are sick of the red tape and green tape holding back development — we are working to improve those processes and timeframes so that Kiwis and investors, both domestically and overseas, can get ahead with doing what they want to do, on projects that will help New Zealand thrive."
A spokesman in the minister’s office said the fast-track team would now check if there were competing applications or existing resource consents for the same activities.
Once it was determined there were no competing applications or existing resource consents for the same activity, the next step was for the fast-track team to provide the application to the panel convener.
He said the panel convener would then appoint a panel of up to four members for each project, generally chaired by a suitably qualified lawyer or planner with experience in relevant law.
Panel members would also include a person nominated by the relevant local authorities.
For future decisions on fast-track projects, once a listed project’s application was considered complete and in scope, the name of the project and other details would be publicly available and published on www.fasttrack.govt.nz, the spokesman said.
The government also has an Electrify NZ plan, which involves amending the Resource Management Act to speed up resource consenting for electricity generation projects.
The aim is to create legislation to reduce consent and re-consenting processing time for most renewable energy consents, to be within one year.
It also plans to extend the default lapse periods for renewable energy, transmission and local electricity lines consents from five years to 10 years, and increase the default consent duration to 35 years for renewable energy consents.
The plan aims to provide stronger national direction for renewable energy, and the government is progressing changes to make it easier for national direction instruments under the RMA to be amended.
Once passed into law, the government will amend the National Policy Statements (NPS) for Renewable Electricity Generation and Electricity Transmission so they are far more directive and enabling of renewable electricity and transmission.
It will develop further national direction to help enable a range of energy and infrastructure projects — including a new NPS infrastructure, and subsequent standards for different types of energy generation and infrastructure.
Contact chief executive officer Mike Fuge declined to comment on whether the company would apply for consent under the new Fast-track Approvals Act.
"We are going to take some time to fully understand the reasons behind the expert consenting panel’s decision to decline consent, and assess what option to take next," Mr Fuge said.
The West Catlins Preservation Society, set up to oppose the wind farm, has responded with cautious optimism while it waits on Contact to decide if it will appeal the consent decision.
