Patea Dam facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The Patea Dam is a high compacted earth fill–type hydroelectric dam in New Zealand, constructed between 1979 and 1984.

The dam is 82 metres (269 ft) tall, the fourth highest in New Zealand. It was the first dam constructed using tertiary sandstone and siltstone as fill materials. The dam impounds Lake Rotorangi, which is the longest man-made lake in New Zealand (46 kilometres (29 mi)).

Patea Hydro Electric Scheme

The Patea Hydro Electric Scheme first produced power in May 1984. After construction difficulties, wetter than normal conditions had caused a six-month delay. It is operated by TrustPower. With three 10,000 kilowatts (13,000 hp) vertical Francis turbine generator sets and a 700 kilowatts (940 hp) auxiliary generator, the scheme has a total capacity of 30,700 kilowatts (41,200 hp) and an average annual output of 118 gigawatt-hours (420 TJ).

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