New Plymouth’s TSB Festival of Lights will switch on with zero emissions this summer after NPDC confirmed it is moving to 100% renewable electricity across its operations.
A five-year supply deal has been agreed to draw about half of its load from the New Plymouth Airport solar farm beginning on November 1st.
New Plymouth District Council says the agreement delivers about a 20% saving against current market rates and cuts its direct emissions by roughly 10%.
The change means every festival installation and performance at Pukekura Park will be powered by renewables for the full season, which runs from December 20th 2025 to January 24th 2026.
NPDC’s switch covers more than the festival. The Council’s renewable supply also powers street and traffic lighting, water and wastewater pumps, libraries, pools, venues, office spaces, and charging for its EV fleet, improving cost control while lowering emissions from everyday services residents rely on.
At the heart of the shift is the airport solar farm owned by Papa Rererangi i Puketapu (PRIP), the NPDC-owned airport company.
The array occupies about 15 hectares of buffer land at the airport and uses 14,400 fixed-tilt panels, producing electricity comparable to about 2,000 average homes.
Construction started in 2024 and was completed in 2025. Project delivery drew heavily on local contractors through the build phase.
Airport leadership says selling power to New Plymouth District Council creates a foundation customer as the farm ramps to full output, while also insulating airport operations and travellers from wholesale price spikes by generating on site.
The land continues in light agricultural use, with grazing integrated around the solar layout to keep the buffer area productive.
The project, called Te Matakupenga, was developed with Infratec and New Energy, with the goal of making New Plymouth Airport largely self-sufficient while supplying surplus energy to external customers such as NPDC.
Financing came via a $14 million low-interest loan from the Local Government Funding Agency’s Green and Social Loans programme, to be repaid from airport revenues.
The Council has adopted a district-wide emissions reduction plan and reports falling emissions from both electricity and natural gas since 2018, supported by fleet changes and urban tree-planting targets toward a 2050 carbon-neutral goal.
