Cobb Power Station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cobb Power Station |
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Cobb Power Station, with the water pipes visible behind it
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| Country | New Zealand |
| Location | Tasman |
| Coordinates | 41°5′10″S 172°43′56″E / 41.08611°S 172.73222°E |
| Status | Operational |
| Commission date | 1956 |
| Owner(s) | TrustPower |
The Cobb Power Station is a special place in New Zealand that makes electricity using the power of water! It's a hydroelectric power station located on the Cobb River, about 112 kilometres (70 mi) northwest of Nelson, New Zealand. Since 2003, a company called TrustPower has owned and operated it. This station helps power homes and schools by generating around 190 gigawatt-hours (680 TJ) of electricity each year.
Contents
How Cobb Power Station Works
The Water's Journey
The Cobb Power Station gets its water from the Cobb Reservoir. This reservoir holds a lot of water high up in the mountains. The station uses a huge drop in height, called a 'head', of 596 metres (1,955 ft). This is the highest head of any power station in New Zealand!
From the reservoir, the water travels through a long tunnel. This tunnel is about 2.6 kilometres (1.6 mi) long and goes right through the Cobb Range mountains. After the tunnel, the water flows into two long pipes called penstocks.
Powering the Turbines
These penstocks are about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) long each. Because of the huge height difference between the reservoir and the power station, the water flows very fast. This creates a strong, high-pressure flow of about 7.25 cubic meters of water per second.
This powerful water flow then hits six special machines called Pelton turbines. A Pelton turbine is like a big water wheel with many buckets. The force of the water hitting these buckets makes the turbines spin very fast.
Generating Electricity
When the turbines spin, they are connected to generators. These generators are like giant dynamos that turn the spinning motion into electricity. This clean, renewable electricity is then sent out to homes and businesses.
Getting to Cobb Power Station
The Cobb Power Station is a bit hidden away. You can reach it from a town called Upper Takaka. There's a 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) road that is sealed but winding and narrow. It follows the Tākaka River.
The main power station building is located right on the edge of Kahurangi National Park. The Cobb Reservoir, which feeds the station, is even further up. It's another 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) on an unsealed, steep, and winding road, and the entire reservoir is inside the national park.
