Kawerau Power Station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kawerau Power Station |
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| Country | New Zealand |
| Location | Bay of Plenty Region |
| Coordinates | 38°3′47″S 176°43′38″E / 38.06306°S 176.72722°E |
| Status | Operational |
| Commission date | 2008 |
| Owner(s) | Mercury Energy |
The Kawerau Power Station is a huge geothermal power plant in New Zealand. It's located near the town of Kawerau in the Bay of Plenty Region. This power station uses heat from deep inside the Earth to make electricity. It's part of the Taupo Volcanic Zone, an area known for its volcanoes and hot springs. Built in 2008, it can produce 100 megawatts of power. That's enough electricity for many homes and businesses! It's also the biggest geothermal power plant of its kind in New Zealand.
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How Geothermal Power Works
Geothermal energy comes from the Earth's natural heat. Deep underground, there's super hot water and steam. At Kawerau, engineers drill wells to reach this hot water and steam. This hot fluid then travels up to the power station.
Once at the surface, the hot water and steam are used to spin a special machine called a turbine. Think of a turbine like a giant fan. When the steam pushes its blades, the turbine spins very fast. This spinning turbine is connected to a generator, which then creates electricity.
Making Electricity at Kawerau
The Kawerau power station uses a large turbine made by Fuji. The hot water and steam from the ground are separated. This creates high-pressure steam and low-pressure steam. Both types of steam are used to power the turbine. This process helps make sure as much energy as possible is captured.
The Kawerau area is very special. It's known as one of the best geothermal fields in the world. Besides making electricity, the hot steam from the ground is also used by a local paper mill, Norske Skog Tasman. They use it for their industrial processes and to generate some of their own power.
Binary Power Plants
There are also smaller power plants near the main station. These are called binary power plants. They use hot geothermal water that isn't quite hot enough to make steam directly. Instead, this hot water heats another liquid that has a lower boiling point. When this second liquid turns into vapor, it spins a turbine to make electricity. This is a clever way to use even more of the Earth's heat!
Powering the Region
The Kawerau geothermal power station is very important for New Zealand. It increased the country's geothermal electricity production by 25 percent. It provides about one-third of the electricity needed by homes and industries in the Eastern Bay of Plenty region. This reliable power source helps local businesses, like the paper mill, operate smoothly.
Gallery
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This machine separates steam from hot water.
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These are the wells drilled into the Earth to get hot water and steam.
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This is where the giant turbine spins to make electricity.
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Engineers watch and control the power station from here.
