A giant windfarm near the Wairarapa town of Eketahuna is inching closer to being built.
Commissioners hearing Genesis Energy's Castle Hill Wind Farm application have indicated that resource consent can be granted but that further mitigation is required.
Genesis says it will not know what the requirements are until a decision is issued later this month.
The company has also said it is unlikely to build any new generation projects for years, and there is no guarantee the next project will be Castle Hill.
Radio New Zealand's energy reporter says companies commonly seek resource consent for projects but wait to build them until the economic conditions are right.
He says even if Castle Hill is built, it could take 20 years and might not reach its maximum capacity.
