Falls Dam Power Station
Situated below the iconic Falls Dam near St Bathans in Central Otago, surrounded by snow capped mountains.
Commissioned: 2003
Operating Head: 30m
Flow through Station: 4,000 litres per second
Annual Generation: 8.6 GWh
Falls Station in front of Falls Dam.
Falls Dam Station is situated approximately 10km east of St Bathans adjacent to Falls Dam which is at the head of the Manuherikia River.
In the early 1990s, to assist with operating costs, the Falls Dam Company proposed building a small hydro power station at the dam site and selling the energy generated. However, after failing to attract a purchaser, the company approached the then Central Electric Limited (CEL) with a view to forming a joint development. In 1996 CEL investigated options for the site and started negotiations with the Falls Dam Company. An agreement was signed in May 1997 to allow the project to proceed to the design and resource consent stage.
Roadworks to provide access to the site began in December 2002 and a transmission line was built to take electricity generated to Ranfurly via the Oturehua sub-station. The construction of the powerhouse, which is a basic reinforced concrete structure, began early 2003. It has a removable concrete slab roof to enable heavy items to be installed and removed by crane.
Water supply to the station is via pipeline from Falls Dam. The dam is a rock fill structure built in 1935 for irrigation water supply over the summer season; it is owned and operated by the Falls Dam Company. Water is brought to the station via a low-level pipeline split off from the existing irrigation line. A siphon pipe joins the lower level supply to provide additional flow from crest level, when the full flow is required. The station is designed to run automatically in an unattended mode.