Aviemore Dam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Aviemore Dam |
|
|---|---|
The dam as seen from the northern side
|
|
| Official name | Aviemore Dam |
| Location | Canterbury/Otago, New Zealand |
| Construction began | 1962 |
| Opening date | 1968 |
| Operator(s) | Meridian Energy |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Impounds | Waitaki River |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Lake Aviemore |
The Aviemore Dam is a large dam located on the Waitaki River in New Zealand. It was built between 1962 and 1968. The dam creates Lake Aviemore and is a key part of New Zealand's power system.
This dam is owned and operated by Meridian Energy. It uses the power of water to create electricity at its hydroelectric power plant. The Aviemore Dam is part of the bigger Waitaki River Hydroelectric System. This system helps produce about 30% of New Zealand's electricity from water power.
About the Dam
How the Dam is Built
The Aviemore Dam is built on a special kind of ground. It crosses over the Waitangi Fault line. Because of this, the dam has two different parts.
- On the northern side, in the Canterbury area, the dam sits on very strong rock. This part is made of concrete and is about 335 meters long.
- On the southern side, in the Otago area, the dam crosses the fault. This section is an earth dam, which means it's made of compacted earth and rock. It is about 457 meters long.
During construction, a special type of "low-heat cement" was used for the concrete part. This was one of the first times it was used in a big project in New Zealand. It helped the builders pour concrete quickly without it getting too hot.
Making Electricity
The Aviemore Dam is home to a powerful electricity-making facility. It has four large francis turbines. Each turbine can produce 55 megawatts (MW) of power. This means the dam can make a total of 220 MW of electricity.
Every year, the dam produces about 942 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity. To give you an idea, a gigawatt-hour is a huge amount of energy! The water drops about 37 meters to spin the turbines. The giant pipes that carry water to the turbines are called penstocks. These penstocks are very big, each about 7 meters wide. In 2007, they were the largest in New Zealand.
Making the Dam Stronger
In the 2000s, engineers worked to make the Aviemore Dam even stronger. This was important because the dam sits on the Waitangi Fault. When the dam was first built, this fault was thought to be inactive. But later, experts realized it could still move.
The strengthening work helped protect the dam from possible earthquakes. It also reduced the risk of water overflowing if an earthquake caused landslides into Lake Aviemore. The companies Opus New Zealand and URS New Zealand helped design these safety upgrades. They even won an award for their work on making the dam safer.
