Tokaanu Hydroelectric Power Station. Tokaanu. North Is. New Zealand.
S 38° 58.860 E 175° 46.090
60H E 393303 N 5684610
The Tokaanu Power Station, part of the Tongariro Hydro Power Scheme, is a 240 MW capacity station situated on the base of Mount Tihia at the southern end of Lake Taupo.
Waymark Code: WMG7RB
Location: North Island, New Zealand
Date Posted: 01/25/2013
Views: 2
The Tokaanu power station, one of two in the Tongariro scheme, was built from 1966 to 1973. It uses water drawn from the Whakapapa, Whanganui, Moawhango and Tongariro rivers, carried through tunnels, stored in dams and lakes and, after use, released into Lake Taupo.
The Tongariro Scheme takes water from tributaries of the Rangitikei, Whangaehu, Whanganui, and Tongariro rivers, which drain a 2,600-square-kilometre (1,000 sq mi) area covering Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe, Tongariro and the western Kaimanawa Ranges.
The Scheme has four divisions:
Eastern Division: Whangaehu River to Rangipo Dam
Tongariro Division: Rangipo Dam to Lake Rotoaira
Western Division: Whakapapa River to Lake Rotoaira
Rotoaira Division: Lake Rotoaira to Lake Taupo
Tokaanu Power Station is located on the Rotoaira Division of the scheme. The power station has four turbines, each generating 60 MW each, giving the station a total capacity of 240 MW. The station was commissioned in 1973. Tokaanu also houses the control room for the entire Tongariro Power Scheme.
Tokaanu Power Station uses water that is collected via a network of canals, tunnels and dams throughout the region and stored in Lake Rotoaira. Tokaanu uses a different approach to harnessing the potential of the water. Instead of using pressured water from the base of a dam to drive the turbines, four pipes direct the water flow from the top of a large hill down to the turbines waiting at the bottom. The flow pipes are huge, and completely dominate the hillside. A tunnel and pipes carry the water from Lake Rotoaira downhill to the Tokaanu Power Station and from there it is released via the Tailrace into Lake Taupo.