- Friday 30 July 2010
- Subscriptions
- Photo Sales
- Competitions
Geothermal power NZ's big saviour?
The Wairakei Geothermal Power Station near Taupo. Picture: NZ Herald
By REBECCA DEVINE in Rotorua
Millions of dollars are likely to be spent as power companies race to develop the Central North Island's geothermal fields to keep the country powered up.
The fields in the area are likely to become an increasing source of power in the future as New Zealand realises the need to find more fuel.
While geothermal energy is unlikely to ever be able to supply all the country's power needs, it is becoming more popular and scientists say there is still considerable untapped energy.
Rotorua geologist Ashley Cody said he believes up to a third of New Zealand's electricity will come from geothermal sources in the near future.
The fields around the Central North Island are capable of producing half the needs, but that would probably have too many negative effects.
Earlier this year Mighty River Power, New Zealand's third-largest electricity generator, announced its plans to investigate new geothermal fields to see whether they are capable of supplying power.
About 10 per cent of the company's power comes from geothermal sources. Nationally just over 7 per cent of the total power take comes from it.
Contact Energy is also looking to expand its geothermal take.
Mighty River's external affairs general manager Neil Williams said geothermal power was the area the company was "most actively pursuing" as a future power source.
But it could be a costly and time-consuming exercise with each exploratory well costing between $3 and $5 million.
"Scientists say there is a lot of potential but we don't know exactly what is there until we drill the hole."
Mr Williams said it was a balancing act to expand existing power stations as well as developing new sites.
Mighty River Power runs its two Taupo operations in conjunction with Maori trusts.
The Mokai power station's extension has just been completed and can now provide just under 100MW of power - the equivalent for about 110,000 households.
The company is also hoping to "at least double" the capacity of its plant at Rotokawa - taking it to 66MW.
It is also looking at two new stations in a move which could create several new jobs.
Consultation is underway for a new station at Kawerau while exploratory drilling is underway near Mangakino to see whether a station there would be viable.
Results are expected towards the end of the year.
It generally takes 100 people to build geothermal power stations and they are usually operated by about ten staff.
Another firm, Contact Energy, has started drilling the first of four new geothermal wells at Te Mihi, north-west of Taupo, in a project expected to add 18MW of extra energy.
A spokesman for Meridian Energy, New Zealand's largest electricity generator, said the company was focusing on wind development and had not thought about getting involved with geothermal power generation at this stage.
Millions of dollars are likely to be spent as power companies race to develop the Central North Island's geothermal fields to keep the country powered up.
The fields in the area are likely to become an increasing source of power in the future as New Zealand realises the need to find more fuel.
While geothermal energy is unlikely to ever be able to supply all the country's power needs, it is becoming more popular and scientists say there is still considerable untapped energy.
Rotorua geologist Ashley Cody said he believes up to a third of New Zealand's electricity will come from geothermal sources in the near future.
The fields around the Central North Island are capable of producing half the needs, but that would probably have too many negative effects.
Earlier this year Mighty River Power, New Zealand's third-largest electricity generator, announced its plans to investigate new geothermal fields to see whether they are capable of supplying power.
About 10 per cent of the company's power comes from geothermal sources. Nationally just over 7 per cent of the total power take comes from it.
Contact Energy is also looking to expand its geothermal take.
Mighty River's external affairs general manager Neil Williams said geothermal power was the area the company was "most actively pursuing" as a future power source.
But it could be a costly and time-consuming exercise with each exploratory well costing between $3 and $5 million.
"Scientists say there is a lot of potential but we don't know exactly what is there until we drill the hole."
Mr Williams said it was a balancing act to expand existing power stations as well as developing new sites.
Mighty River Power runs its two Taupo operations in conjunction with Maori trusts.
The Mokai power station's extension has just been completed and can now provide just under 100MW of power - the equivalent for about 110,000 households.
The company is also hoping to "at least double" the capacity of its plant at Rotokawa - taking it to 66MW.
It is also looking at two new stations in a move which could create several new jobs.
Consultation is underway for a new station at Kawerau while exploratory drilling is underway near Mangakino to see whether a station there would be viable.
Advertisement
It generally takes 100 people to build geothermal power stations and they are usually operated by about ten staff.
Another firm, Contact Energy, has started drilling the first of four new geothermal wells at Te Mihi, north-west of Taupo, in a project expected to add 18MW of extra energy.
A spokesman for Meridian Energy, New Zealand's largest electricity generator, said the company was focusing on wind development and had not thought about getting involved with geothermal power generation at this stage.
Special Offers
Advertisement
Advertisement
