Japanese salt and sake welcome in station’s new turbine
Taupō’s newest geothermal power station reached a milestone last week, which was celebrated with a fusion of Japanese and Māori customs.
The turbine at the Tauhara power station started turning on Friday, marking a significant step in the station’s commissioning process.
As one of the largest single-shaft geothermal turbines in the world, there has been plenty of work to get to this stage, said Contact’s chief executive officer 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.”
To mark the 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 Drive in Taupō.
When completed, the area will be the second-largest producer of geothermal energy in New Zealand.