Roaring Meg hydro scheme facts for kids
The Roaring Meg hydro scheme is a special system that uses water to make electricity. It has two small power stations that get their water from the Roaring Meg Dam. This whole setup is found next to the Roaring Meg Stream in the Kawarau Gorge, close to a town called Cromwell in New Zealand. A company called Pioneer Energy owns and runs the Roaring Meg hydro scheme.
Contents
History of Roaring Meg Power
When Was It Built?
The Roaring Meg power system was built a long time ago by the Otago Central Power Board. They started building it in 1934, and it began making electricity in 1936. Back then, it cost about 40,000 pounds to build.
Dealing with Floods
Sometimes, the lower power station has been flooded by the nearby Kawarau River. This shows how powerful nature can be, even for strong buildings!
How Roaring Meg Makes Electricity
The Dam and Water Flow
The journey of the water starts at the Roaring Meg Dam. This dam is about 10 metres (33 ft) tall and is located about 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) upstream from where the Roaring Meg Stream joins the Kawarau River.
From the dam, water flows into a series of large pipes. These pipes carry the water down to the power stations.
Upper and Lower Power Stations
There are two power stations: an upper one and a lower one.
- The upper station uses the water first. After the water goes through the upper station, some of it flows into another pipe that feeds the lower station. The rest of the water goes back into the Roaring Meg Stream.
- The lower station then uses this water. Once it has passed through the lower station, the water flows out into the Kawarau River.
This system makes sure the water is used efficiently to create as much electricity as possible.
Electricity Production at Roaring Meg
How Much Power Is Made?
Together, both the upper and lower Roaring Meg power stations produce about 30 gigawatt-hours (110 TJ) of electricity each year. This is a lot of power, enough to supply many homes!
Details of Each Station
Each power station has special machines called turbines. Turbines are like big spinning wheels that are turned by the force of the moving water. This spinning motion is what helps create electricity.
Lower Roaring Meg Station
- It has two turbines.
- The water falls from a height of about 304 metres (997 ft) to spin the turbines. This is called the "operating head."
- It can produce a combined total of 3,000 kilowatts (4,000 hp) of power.
- About 1300 litres of water flow through it every second.
Upper Roaring Meg Station
- It also has two turbines.
- The water falls from a height of about 125 metres (410 ft) to spin its turbines.
- It can produce a combined total of 1,263 kilowatts (1,694 hp) of power.
- About 1300 litres of water flow through it every second.
