Te Rapa cogeneration facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Te Rapa cogeneration |
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|---|---|
| Country | New Zealand |
| Location | Te Rapa, Hamilton |
| Coordinates | 37°42′59″S 175°13′0″E / 37.71639°S 175.21667°E |
| Status | Operational |
| Commission date | 1999 |
| Owner(s) | Contact Energy |
The Te Rapa cogeneration plant is a special kind of power station. It makes 45 megawatts (MW) of electricity. This plant is owned by a company called Contact Energy. You can find it in Te Rapa, near Hamilton in New Zealand. It's right next to a big Fonterra dairy factory.
Te Rapa Power Plant
How the Plant Works
This power plant uses a big engine called a gas turbine. It's like a jet engine, but it makes electricity. This gas turbine can create up to 45 MW of power.
After the gas turbine makes electricity, it lets out very hot exhaust gases. These hot gases don't just go into the air. Instead, they are sent to a special boiler. This boiler is called a Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG).
The HRSG uses the hot gases to make steam. It can even use extra burners to make more steam if needed. This plant can produce up to 180 tons of steam every hour! The Te Rapa plant started working in 1999.
What the Plant Does
The Te Rapa plant is designed to be very flexible. This means it can do different things depending on what is needed.
It can provide electricity directly to the Fonterra dairy factory. It can also send electricity to the main power grid for other people to use. Sometimes, the dairy factory might even buy electricity from the grid if it needs more.
A common way it works is by sending 30 MW of electricity to the main power grid. At the same time, it provides 15 MW of electricity and 120 tons of steam per hour to the dairy factory. This way, it helps both the factory and the wider community.
