Infrastructure - Nga Awa Geothermal Power Station
< Back Monday, 5 July 2010Firth powers up 130,000 homes.
Being part of a project that will supply
sufficient electricity to power 130,000 homes - the equivalent of
every home in Hamilton, Tauranga, Rotorua and Taupo, is something
that Firth is justifiably
proud of.
The innovative $430 million, 140MW, Geothermal Power Station, north east of Taupo, is a joint venture between Mighty River Power and the Tauhara North No. 2 Trust. Since the project began in 2007, Firth has supplied a total of 13,000m³ of concrete for the project under contract to Hawkins Infrastructure. Commissioning was completed in February this year and since April the plant has been fully operational. Project Manager for Hawkins Infrastructure, Glenn Kaukau says, "We've had a great working relationship with Firth. With a project this large there are always numerous issues and the Firth team has been able to answer all the questions we've had and then been able to follow up swiftly with practical solutions," he says.
Firth's new and innovative concrete technology enabled the company to provide a specialised high strength mix to meet the engineer's specifications for the project. The 40 MPa mix included fly ash and cement, which helps slow down the curing process. It was used in many parts of the new power station including the cooling tower, the pipelines and the creation of underground piles.
Plant Supervisor for Firth Taupo and Tokoroa, Tony Hurunui says
"Big holes were drilled into the ground and filled with concrete to
stabilise the foundations of the plant. These were required as
there can be a lot of movement in the ground around Taupo as it's
made up of a lot of pumice which is very light," says Mr Hurunui.
"The main challenges we faced were in quality control and working
to keep a high degree of consistency in our mixes. Also there were
some hold ups early on in the project due to weather and issues in
drilling for the piles," he says.
"The power station is something the Firth team will be able to
show their kids and their grandkids," says Mr Hurunui. "It is very
impressive and will benefit New Zealanders for generations to
come."