Reported in July 2024, Contact Energy has completed a 30-day test run of the Tauhara geothermal power station in New Zealand, with the plant running continuously at 152 MW and tested at the target capacity of 174 MW. While the final stages of commissioning are still ongoing, the power plant will be running at 130 MW and providing renewable electricity to the grid.
Over the next two months, modifications will be done to address vibrations in a section of the steam separation plant. Once commissioned, Tauhara – the largest single shaft geothermal turbine power station in the world – is expected to operate at around 152MW. Further modifications are then planned to be done during the first planned outage, scheduled for October 2025, to secure long-term generation of 174MW.
Plans for the Tauhara geothermal power project were first reported back in 2019, with its initial planned capacity of 152 MW increased to 168 MW after the reservoir was evaluated to be more productive than expected. Electricity from the power plant will be sold to Genesis Energy under a 15-year PPA.
Contact is also working on the 51-MW Te Huka geothermal power plant which is scheduled to go online in Q4 2024, as well as the replacement of the Wairakei A&B geothermal power station. The company is targeting a final investment decision in Q4 2024 on a new binary plant of around 100 MW with an indicative construction completion target of mid-2027.
Source: Contact Energy
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