World's largest geothermal turbine in NZ

Posted by Big Gav in geothermal energy, geothermal power, new zealand

The largest geothermal turbine in the world has been constructed just north of Taupo at a new power station which runs renewable energy. The power station has diminished the threat of power cuts, especially at a time when New Zealand is facing a dry winter.

Mighty River Power spokesman Doug Heffernan says compared to other renewable energies, the power continues to flow in the dark, when it is dry and however the wind blows.

The energy stripped out of the geothermal turbine will power around 140,000 homes. That is about 3% of all the power the country needs.

But the new turbine is unlikely to bring down power prices. "These things don't come cheaply. This cost about $430 million to build and to keep doing that, we need to generate the revenue to pay for it," says Heffernan.

1 comments

Bob Wallace says 3:09 PM

A page with more info....

140 MW. $430 million. ~$3,100 per kW.

"...around 14 per cent of New Zealand’s electricity supply now comes from geothermal energy. This proportion has more than doubled since 2005."

"The first earthworks for Nga Awa Purua began in May 2008, and the plant was feeding electricity into the national grid less than two years later in January 2010."

http://www.mightyriverpower.co.nz/News/Detail.aspx?id=2434