Matiri Hydro
Nestled amongst native forest bordering the Kahurangi National Park in Tasman, the Matiri Hydro Scheme is a low-impact run of the river scheme.
Commissioned: 2020
Flow through Station: 2,000 litres per second
Annual Generation: 28.2 GWh
The hydro-electric power generation potential of Lake Matiri and the Matiri River was first identified in the 1970s. Tasman Energy originally looked to develop a hydro scheme but after the 1999 electricity reforms, the non-Crown-owned property and intellectual property associated with the scheme was sold to New Zealand Energy Limited (NZ Energy).
NZ Energy subsequently obtained the resource consent in 2009, and the Department of Conservation (DOC) concession in 2011, to build, own, operate and maintain the scheme.
Pioneer Energy purchased the development rights for Matiri from NZ Energy in October 2014 and has since completed all necessary development works and commissioned after nearly two years of construction. There were many challenges during construction from dealing with wasps, inclement weather causing large slips, to a nearly three-month stoppage of work due to the enforced restrictions of Alert Level 4 under the Covid-19 pandemic response.
The scheme consists of a 5.0 MW power station and produces an estimated 28.2 GWh net annual average electricity generation. A 2.4 km pipeline runs from the weir to the powerhouse, through private land and DOC Estate, with much of it buried. During construction, some three kilometres of private, and four kilometres of public, roads have been built. New and upgraded tracks, suitable for tramping and mountain biking to Lake Matiri, have been formed during the build.
Lake Matiri