The upgrade of a historic hydro power station near Lake Waikaremoana will boost the plant’s electricity...

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The upgrade of a historic hydro power station near Lake Waikaremoana will boost the plant’s electricity production by enough to power an extra 1000 homes.

The first of three new generators for Genesis’ 60MW Tuai
Power Station was switched on last week, after a long journey from Spain that
saw it arrive two months late due to global shipping delays. 

The 26-tonne generator was then successfully delivered by
truck 560km from Auckland, finishing at the end of a narrow, winding road from
Wairoa. <br>

Up to 55 contractors and staff were involved in removing the
old generator, originally installed in 1939, and replacing it with the 2022
model. The nine-month project was undertaken through various degrees of Covid
restrictions, with strict protocols in place to protect workers and the local
community.

The whole exercise will be repeated next summer and the
summer after that as Tuai’s other two generators, built 10 years earlier in
1929, are also replaced. Once complete, the upgrade will have cost $32 million
and taken seven years in planning, production and installation. The engineering project will increase
Tuai’s generation capacity by 6MW and improve its efficiency.

Genesis’ Chief
Operations Officer, Rebecca Larking, said the project was an example of the
company’s commitment to increase the amount of sustainable generation available
to the national grid. 

“New Zealand is
going to need more renewable electricity as the country moves to a lower-carbon
future,” said Larking. “In addition to building new renewable generation in the
form of wind and solar farms, we also need to extend the life of our existing
hydro stations, making them even more productive and efficient in the process.”

Tuai is one of
three power stations in Genesis’ Waikaremoana Power Scheme, transferring water
from Lake Waikaremoana through Kaitawa (36MW), Tuai and Piripaua (42MW) power
stations. Piripaua is also part way through its own overhaul of its two
generators, which were first commissioned in 1943. The work will increase their
efficiency by up to 3.3%, enough to power an extra 436 households per year. 

In 2021 Genesis’
Tekapo Power Scheme completed a $40 million upgrade to increase its safety and
efficiency. 

In all, Genesis
runs eight power stations through its Waikaremoana, Tekapo and Tongariro power
schemes, with a combined generation of 689MW.

“A number of the
improvements across the power schemes were developed in house by our innovative
team members,” said Larking. “These upgrades will future-proof the stations so
they’ll continue to produce renewable electricity for New Zealand as the
country decarbonises over the coming decades.” 

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