Siemens wind turbines used at Meridian Energy’s West Wind Wind farm in Wellington was connected to the national grid at the end of April. West Wind are the largest wind farm for Siemens in the Southern Hemisphere. When fully operational at the end of 2009, the 62-turbine development will have a capacity of 142 megawatts and will power the equivalent of 70,000 average New Zealand homes. Siemens observe that their wind technology would make a contribution to the renewable energy target set by the New Zealand government.
In countries where renewable opportunities are not present, Siemens plan to use different technologies. They plan to develop technology to reduce CO2 from coal-fired plants and combined cycle plants. They also intend to increase efficiency from transmission.