Transformer delivered to Manapōuri power station
Meridian Energy has taken delivery of a 108-tonne transformer for its Manapōuri power station.
Image for illustration purposes.
New Zealand: Meridian Energy has taken delivery of a 108-tonne transformer for its Manapōuri power station, which will help take the New Zealand’s biggest hydro station back towards maximum capacity. The transformer had travelled from Bluff to Supply Bay, where it was barged across Lake Manapōuri to the station and reversed down a 2 km tunnel.
Manapōuri has been operating at reduced capacity for around two years now, and the transformer will bump it back towards its maximum capacity. Another replacement transformer is expected to arrive late next year.
The transformers at the station have been a challenge since 2011, so the company will also buy a spare, which isn’t expected to arrive until September 2025. It will then take 12 weeks for installation and commissioning. The newly arrived transformer is expected to be installed well before Christmas.
The power station has seven 128 MW generating units, and an operating maximum station output of 800 MW. Located on the edge of Lake Manapōuri’s West Arm, it generates enough electricity for about 619000 homes. Its generating units are housed in a cavern excavated from rock 200 metres below the lake’s surface.
Source: The New Zealand Herald
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