Mercury has powered up its fifth unit at the Ngā Tamariki Geothermal Station near Taupō, New Zealand, which has begun delivering geothermal power to the national grid.
The expansion project, valued at around $220mn, is on track to be fully commissioned by March 2026, adding 46MW of renewable energy to the station and bringing its installed capacity from 86MW to 132MW.
Chief Executive, Stew Hamilton, said, “The unit is currently being put through various tests as it is gradually brought up to 100% output. When it’s generating fully, the station’s annual average generation output will increase by 390GWh, providing the equivalent of enough power for about 55,000 homes – about the same as the number of residential homes in Tauranga city.”
Total annual average generation output is predicted to be 1,120GWh, enough to power 158,000 homes – greater than all residential houses in Christchurch.
“The Ngā Tamariki expansion is one of three major renewable generation developments, totalling $1bn investment, Mercury has underway,” Hamilton iterated.
“These include the Ngā Tamariki expansion, stage 2 of the Kaiwera Downs Wind Farm in Southland, and the Kaiwaikawe Wind Farm in Northland.”
The company is currently rejecting around 80% of NCGs back into geothermal reservoirs at the first four Ngā Tamariki units. The fifth unit will also feature reinjection, completing the $3.3mn programme.