Atiamuri Power Station
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Ātiamuri Power Station is a
hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...
power station on the
Waikato River The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand, running for through the North Island. It rises on the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and flowing through Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake. It th ...
, in the
North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...
of
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
. It is the third of eight hydroelectric power stations on the Waikato River. The station can easily be seen from
State Highway 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbered S ...
between
Taupō Taupō (), sometimes written Taupo, is a town located in the central North Island of New Zealand. It is situated on the edge of Lake Taupō, which is the largest freshwater lake in New Zealand. Taupō was constituted as a borough in 1953. It h ...
and
Tokoroa Tokoroa is the fourth-largest town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand and largest settlement in the South Waikato District. Located 30 km southwest of Rotorua and 20 km south of Putāruru, close to the foot of th ...
. Ātiamuri Power Station is downstream of Ōhakuri Power Station, and takes water directly from the larger upstream station. The relatively small storage of
Lake Ātiamuri A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from t ...
means the timing of Ātiamuri's generation production is critical, particularly if Ōhakuri is generating at full capacity. Ātiamuri, like all of the hydroelectric power stations on the Waikato River, is operated by
state-owned State ownership, also called public ownership or government ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, property, or enterprise by the national government of a country or state, or a public body representing a community, as opposed to ...
electricity generator
Mercury Energy Mercury NZ Limited is a New Zealand electricity generation and multi-product utility retailer of electricity, gas, broadband and mobile telephone services. All the company's electricity generation is renewable. Mercury has a pre-paid electrici ...
.


History

Ātiamuri was the fifth hydroelectric power station on the Waikato River to be built. Construction of the station, as well as Ōhakuri and Waipāpa, was approved by the Government, and construction of the
dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...
and power station began in November 1953. The Government engaged design consultants Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners of London for design of the civil engineering works. Most of the workers were housed on-site in the newly created Ātiamuri Village, with other workers coming from
Mangakino Mangakino is a small town on the banks of the Waikato River in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located close to the hydroelectric power station at Lake Maraetai, southeast of Hamilton. The town and its infrastructure are administered a ...
, the base of the constriction of the upper Waikato River hydroelectric stations. The village of Ātiamuri contained 500 homes, a cinema, recreation room, canteen and library. Construction of Ātiamuri was completed six months ahead of schedule, and the first three turbines and generators were commissioned in November 1958. A fourth turbine and generator was installed later, and commissioned in April 1962.


Dam

Ātiamuri Ātiamuri is a former hydro village in the central North Island of New Zealand. It lies alongside State Highway 1 about 27 km south of Tokoroa and 38 km north of Taupō. It is bordered by the Waikato River and surrounded by pine planta ...
consists of a combined concrete
gravity dam A gravity dam is a dam constructed from concrete or stone masonry and designed to hold back water by using only the weight of the material and its resistance against the foundation. Gravity dams are designed so that each section of the dam is ...
to the north and an earth embankment dam to the south. The earth dam is long, high, and is wide at the base and at the crest. It is made of sandy clay and gravel, with the upstream side made of boulder riprap to protect against wave action. The concrete dam is long, high, and is wide at the base and at the crest. The concrete dam contains the penstocks and the powerhouse, which are contained within the concrete gravity dam. The outlet works is a long diversion tunnel, that is used to release water from the lake when required. In 2017 the height of the dam was increased to reduce the risk of wave over-topping. A parapet wall was constructed into the original earth dam linking the original dam core material to a new concrete wall. To increase the height of the concrete gravity dam, steel plates were installed to the face of the dam.


Generation

Water from Lake Ātiamuri is taken to the turbines in the powerhouse via four steel penstocks, each long and in diameter. The water from the penstocks turn four
Francis turbine The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts. Francis turbines are the most common water turbine in use today, and can achieve over 95% efficiency. The pro ...
s, each rotating at 126 rpm. Water from here is then deposited back into the Waikato River. Each of the turbines turns a generator, each producing of electricity at 11,000 volts. Electricity from the generators is stepped up to 220 kV by four transformers, each rated at 23,333 kVA.


Transmission

Ātiamuri contributes its electricity directly into Transpower's 220 kV grid. The station connects to the single-circuit
Wairakei Wairakei is a small settlement and Geothermal activity, geothermal area 8-kilometres (5 mi) north of Taupō, in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand, on the Waikato River. It is part of the Taupō Volcanic Zone and features several nat ...
to
Whakamaru Whakamaru is a town in the central region of the North Island of New Zealand. The Māori words 'whaka' and 'maru' literally mean to give shelter to, or safeguard. The town is adjacent to a hydroelectric power station on the Waikato River, and ...
A line (WRK-WKM-A) at the substation to the south of the powerhouse, with electricity being distributed to
Taupō Taupō (), sometimes written Taupo, is a town located in the central North Island of New Zealand. It is situated on the edge of Lake Taupō, which is the largest freshwater lake in New Zealand. Taupō was constituted as a borough in 1953. It h ...
and the southern Waikato, and further north to
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
and
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
. Ātiamuri electricity also is distributed to the
Bay of Plenty The Bay of Plenty () is a large bight (geography), bight along the northern coast of New Zealand's North Island. It stretches from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runaway in the east. Called ''Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi'' (the Ocean ...
via the twin-circuit Ātiamuri to Tārukenga (near
Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. It is sited on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authorities of New Zea ...
) line (ATI-TRK-A) originating from the power station.


References


Further reading

*


External links

https://www.mercury.co.nz/why-mercury/renewable-energy/hydro-generation {{Waikato River dams Energy infrastructure completed in 1958 Hydroelectric power stations in New Zealand Waikato River Buildings and structures in Waikato