The three production wells were tested in September and October 2018 by releasing geothermal fluid to the surface. This involved venting each well through a silencer, and the huge clouds of steam produced a great show.

Ngawha Geothermal Power StationEXPANSION PROJECTBuilding the resilience and reliability of power supply in the Far North

July 2019 : Project update and planned works

Civil work progressesGood progress has been made these past few months to get the site ready for the next stage of the project.• Approximately 450,000 m3 of soil has been moved over the

course of this year. That’s equivalent to a 65m, or 20-storey, high tower of soil the size of a rugby field.

• The main site entrance off Ngawha Springs Road has been completed. Fencing, signage and a security guard are now in place.

• The pipeline routes, internal roads, and the power station platform are now largely complete.

• The builder for the new control room and office for the plant operators has set up his work area on site.

• Power and water services for the next tranche of contractors have been provided.

• A new pond to hold the cuttings left over from the well drilling operations has been completed.

• Several resource consent compliance activities are completed, including the commissioning of an air quality monitor and ground water monitoring wells.

Current workThe final trimming and tidying up of the site is underway. Top soil is being spread over the areas that were opened up and grass is being established.

Installation of stormwater drainage lines between the ponds across the site continues.

The project team is now busy managing the design, procurement and fabrication of the power station, the main geothermal steam and fluid pipe lines, and the electricity transmission system.

Power station platform nearing completion of the civil works

You can contact the Ngawha Expansion Project (NEP) on 0800 NGAWHANgawha Generation Limited – www.ngawhageneration.co.nz

Future workUpcoming activities include construction of the new control room and office for the plant operators and the planting of manuka along the Ngawha Springs Road frontage from the golf course.

The major civil works are expected to wrap up in August, at which time contractors to build the power station, main pipe systems, and the transmission substation will move on to site. We anticipate that work crew numbers will increase from the current 25 - 30 people, to nearly 150 people by the end of the year. While a few specialists will be coming from further afield, most of these people will be from the Northland and Far North areas.

Access to the site will continue to be through the three existing site entrances.

Ngawha Springs RoadWe recognise that traffic entering the site near the Spa has caused damage to the road beyond the community hall and have filled in the worst of the holes with metal. Once we have completed construction of the power station Council will fully repair this section of road. In the meantime, we will undertake an interim repair that will provide a better and safer traffic surface. This work will take place in the week of 15 July but will be subject to favourable weather conditions. Traffic management will be in place to alert drivers of the road works and to minimise the impact on people visiting the pools.

Site safety and access Our primary interest is to keep the public around the project site and personnel working on the project safe. The works being completed on the project site create many hazards, please do not enter the site for any reason unless you have permission to do so.

Please share this information with anyone who you think may be impacted by the works or has an interest in the project.

Stormwater pipelines ready for installation on the power station platform

Aerial view of the main site entrance

Ancient Kauri gifted to Ngawha MaraeAn ancient kauri log was gifted to Ngawha Marae in March. The 60-tonne, 16-metre-long trunk was discovered at a depth of nine metres during excavation of the power station site in February. The news coverage can be found on the NZ Herald website: www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12214217