Contact project manager Craig Woolacott and Fuji Electric project engineer Hiroto Fukushima make an offering of sake and salt to cleanse evil spirits at the new Tauhara power station in Taupō.
Taupō‘s newest geothermal power station has reached a milestone, marked with a fusion of Japanese and Māori customs.
The turbine at the Tauhara power station started turning on Friday. It is one of the largest single-shaft geothermal turbines in the world, and once it gets up to full capacity it could power 200,000 homes.
There has been plenty of work to get to this stage, said Contact’s CEO Mike Fuge.
“It’s what the team has been working towards for a long time and to reach this point after everything they have overcome is something to be incredibly proud of.”
Late last year, the power generator said it was working through a range of commissioning issues at the power station, including the remediation of underperforming steam-field valves and liquid handling systems. Modifications cost about $40 million and delayed the date for it to be fully operational to the third quarter of 2024.
The eventual capital cost of the project was $920 million, up from an initial estimate of $678 million.
To mark the milestone occasion, Contact staff gathered alongside representatives from contractors Naylor Love, workers from Japanese firms Sumitomo and Fuji Electric and tangata whenua.
Sumitomo representatives provided traditional ceremonial offerings of salt and sake to cleanse evil spirits and to wish for good operation of the power station.
Tangata whenua gave a whakawātea (clearing the way) to spiritually purify the energy of the space.
The Tauhara station, off Broadlands Rd in the eastern Taupō district, will be one of the world’s largest steam turbine geothermal power stations.
Once up to its full capacity, it will generate 3.5 per cent of New Zealand’s electricity, or enough to power 200,000 households.
The renewable energy production from the site is expected to displace about half a million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year, as less fossil fuel-based energy will be needed.
The Tauhara station is part of a wider, $1.2 billion programme to expand Contact’s geothermal energy production in Taupō, which will also include a second new power station, Te Huka 3, located on Centennial Dr in Taupō.
There will be extensive rounds of testing at the Tauhara site before it is ready to open later in 2024, said Fuge.
“Over the next few months, we will be doing more rigorous testing.
“This includes a week-long test with Transpower this week where a small amount of electricity generated from Tauhara will be sent to the grid for the first time – another key milestone as we work towards leading the decarbonisation of the country.
“These tests ensure that Tauhara runs effectively and safely before becoming operational later this year.
“It is another step in our commitment for our generation operations to be net zero by 2035.”
According to the New Zealand Geothermal Society, the Tauhara Geothermal System covers up to 35km2 of land around the north and east of Taupō township.
Geothermal energy from the system has been used by local homes and businesses since the 1950s, with Contact buying rights to the Tauhara area from the Crown in the 1990s.
When the two new power stations have been completed, the area will be the second-largest producer of geothermal energy in New Zealand.
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