Levelling Up Site Operations on a NZ Solar Farm

We have provided a turnkey site compound during construction of a solar farm on the South Island’s Canterbury Plains. Built by Beon Energy Solutions, the Lauriston Solar Farm is a joint venture partnership between Genesis Energy and FRV Australia.

The Kennards Hire Major Projects team was given a major challenge. Could they install a compound large and efficient enough to meet the needs of the Beon workforce at the remote site at Rakaia, over many months?

The answer was yes! The self-sufficient, 16-building compound has been a huge success, providing offices, meeting rooms, lunchrooms, fresh drinking water, grey water management and distributed power.

Kennards Hire Business Development Manager Daniel Manning was also on hand 24/7 to manage the compound, oversee equipment hire and maintenance, and troubleshoot problems.

Tailored, end-to-end services help keep the project moving

Kennards Hire provided a customised solution to meet the complex requirements of the project, with the solar fa rm to feature 90,000 panels powering up to 13,000 homes. 

The team supplied:

Infrastructure and utilities

• 16 buildings for offices, lunchrooms and meeting spaces.
• 30,000-litre freshwater drinking tanks, with water delivered fortnightly.
• Grey water tanks and pumps to capture and manage grey water from the buildings.
• Distributed power site-wide via 100 KVA generator and 45 KVA generator, ensuring continuity of operations.

A custom pump station

• Custom pump station housed in a 3x3 metre garden shed, with UV filtration system providing 99.9% clean drinking water for the remote site.

Construction equipment

• Equipment including 10 telehandlers, 20 crew cab utes, six ATVs, skid steers and a range of small plant and tools like breakers, small generators and cut-off saws.
• 10,000-litre water trucks, flat deck trucks and minivans for efficient logistics and transport.

On-site management and support

• Dedicated project manager for weekly site visits to oversee equipment, check the compound and liaise with subcontractors, also available 24/7 by phone for urgent issues. 
• Streamlined communication and problem-solving, with single point of contact for Beon and its subcontractors.

Providing solutions for daily on-site challenges

There were plenty of project challenges to contend with.

• Creating a customised pump capable of pushing water over 60 metres.
• Maintaining a healthy, pristine drinking water supply.
• Keeping power and services running smoothly and constantly.
• Working with key suppliers to service gear and maintain site efficiencies.
• Managing all inductions and H&S documentation.
• Educating subcontractors on the project standards required.

Fortunately, Daniel Manning thrives on challenges! He’s delighted to see how successful the project has been.

“It’s the first time we’ve produced a compound of this scale in New Zealand, which was daunting at the start. We were careful to ensure correct levelling, packing of buildings, and adequate water feed into the various buildings.”

Creating a custom pump station was also a first, he says. “I’ve done plenty of large pumping jobs, but never where people rely on it as a drinking source. You can’t take risks with people’s health, or impact site productivity. The people here work long and hard, and they deserve clean, cold, safe water on tap when they need it.”

Taking care of the micro-management

Daniel is clear about his goal for the project. His job was to allow Beon to focus on building the solar farm, while Kennards Hire managed equipment, compound and subcontractor issues.

“I made sure everyone had my name and number, so they could reach me anytime,” he says. 

“I really enjoyed being part of the team.”

According to Beon Site Manager Cody Jones, it’s Kennards Hire’s serviceability that really stands out. Having a dedicated project manager makes a huge difference to site efficiency, he says.

“I can just email or phone Dan and he’ll get something out straight away. Several times the generator tripped, and he had a service technician on site within two hours, even on a Sunday. He’s an awesome fella.”

Cody also points to Kennards Hire’s focus on continuous improvement.

“Many of our workers move from site to site with us. They’ve commented on how the compounds are getting better and better with each new project, as we work together to improve things.”

Kennards Hire has installed and managed compounds for Beon on three previous solar farm projects in Australia. While this is the company’s first major solar farm in New Zealand, Cody says more projects are already in the pipeline.

“Kennards Hire is always so enthusiastic to get involved and support the project the best they can. This means we can just walk in with our laptops, ready to go. They do the micro-managing so we can get on with our jobs.”

The Lauriston Solar Farm is estimated to save around 7,300 tonnes of carbon emissions annually. It also demonstrates an innovative and sustainable use of farmland, with sheep able to graze under the solar panels.

The Kennards Hire Major Projects team is growing quickly in New Zealand, with plenty of large renewable energy projects up and coming. Ask us about a custom site and equipment solution for your next project!