Huntly Power Station
The Huntly power station is the largest thermal power station in New Zealand and is located in the town of Huntly in the Waikato. It is operated by Genesis Energy, a state-owned enterprise.
Operation
Generation
Each of the four main coal-fired units, installed in stages between 1973 and 1985, is capable of generating 250 MW (Megawatts) of electricity, giving the station a total generating capacity of 1000 MW, plus 50MW from a gas turbine comissioned in 2004.[1] Its chimneys are 150 metres high[1] and each chimney has two flues that are 7 metres in diameter.
The operator is presently (2004-2007) constructing a combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant next to the existing station. This plant will increase the total generating capacity of Huntly by 385 MW (250 MW gas turbine + 135 MW steam turbine), and according to the company will be online for the winter of 2007.[1] The new turbine is a NZ$520 million investment.[2]
Fuel & coolant
The coal used in the older section of the power plant is imported to 50% from Indonesia, and to 50% mined in New Zealand.[1] The gas for the newer turbines comes from the Maui gas field in the Taranaki .[3]
The station uses water from the Waikato River for cooling, however in order to protect aquatic life, conditions are imposed by its resource consent (see Resource Management Act), specifing the quantity of water that can be removed by the station along with the maximum temperature of the water that is returned to the river (25°C). These conditions mean that on very hot summer days the station cannot operate at maximum capacity, and has sometimes effectively been shut down. A new cooling tower has been built as part of expansion works at the site, which allows one 250 MW unit to run at full load even during such times.[1]
Future
The plant, as one of the biggest carbon dioxide greenhouse gas generators of the country,[citation needed] has repeatedly drawn the ire of ecologists and has been the focus of associated protests.[2] A recent (late 2006) government report outlining future anti-climate change and energy policies was seen by the operator as a sign that the plant might have to be closed by 2015 under these plans, with around 10 years of design life remaining. It was also noted that, that apart from being difficult to replace (due to New Zealand's annually growing generation demand, especially around Auckland), such a decision would also not be economical for the forseeable future, even if coal prices were to rise.[4]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e Our Thermal Plants (from the Genesis Energy website)
- ^ a b Protesters could be charged over power station climb - New Zealand Herald, Monday 26 February 2007
- ^ Power station opens at Huntly - New Zealand Herald, Friday 13 April, 2007
- ^ Little gain for the power consumer's pain - New Zealand Herald, Friday 13 April 2007