40 | Power for 200,000 households Tauhara is part of a bigger programme of large geothermal projects by Contact Energy, to drive the decarbonisation of New Zealand. from page 38 Contact Energy: Tauhara Phase 2 REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT A vast array of local and national contractors and subcontractors have also been engaged to provide specialist services to deliver both components of the Tauhara project. The project’s impact on the local community has been very positive not only due to the participation of local contractors, but also through the implementation of Contact’s Ka Hiko program providing new opportunities for the development for young local community members. Jack says that after the project was approved, thanks to the initiative of people working collaboratively, together with Sumitomo Corporation and Fuji Electric, ways were found to enhance the generation capacity of the plant, and the originally planned base load of 152MW was increased to 174MW in a very cost-effective way. “The plant will operate 24/7 and being a geothermal plant, you do not need the wind blowing or sun shining to generate power, you always have it. “It will produce enough to power 200,000 households — or 3.5% of New Zealand’s electricity requirements.” While there are many complex elements that make up the project, including the pipelines, the separation plant, and the cooling towers, the primary deliverable is the 174MW power plant. Jack emphasises that workplace safety is a key consideration and priority for the project. “It doesn’t work for us if the project is built but people end up getting hurt. So, the most important thing is to build the plant in a safe way. Also, the quality of the work is critical, so that there is a flawless start-up. The deliverable is the plant, but how it is delivered is very important to us.” Reflecting on the many challenges that are synonymous with a project of Tauhara’s type and magnitude, Jack says the impact of Covid and the global supply chain has been immense. “It has placed a lot of pressure on cost, time, the availability of resources — everything. “Something happening so remotely as China whose Covid policies frequently shut down factories that were supplying materials for us, had an impact. “To get the skilled labour that we needed for the job has been a huge challenge for the project team. Managing these issues and steering through them has been a significant challenge for us. “The other challenge that we faced was that the complexity of the project became much higher than we envisaged in the beginning. But I must say that our contractors have all stepped up and taken this challenge, which has been an awesome experience of great teamwork. Despite the issues, we’ve progressed to 80% complete. So yes, the challenges were there but we overcame them with the help of all our partners.” Tauhara is just one piece of the puzzle — it is one project in a larger programme, and Jack says the most important achievement has been the formation of a solid project team, delivering professionally despite the challenges faced. “This project has somehow consolidated the capacity for Contact Energy to deliver major projects. We’ve learned the hard way. We had to climb a very steep mountain, but this is paying now. Another project in the programme is Te Huka 3, which was sanctioned in August last year and is now on its way in regard to earthworks and design. In a couple of months, we will start mobilising to site the construction contractors. Part of the team that has been delivering Tauhara will move into Te Huka 3 and continue working there.” • Electrical • Security • Communications • Air Conditioning 07 575 2746 Proudly supporting the Contact Energy commitment to a sustainable energy future for New Zealand. INDEPENDENT SERVICE PROVIDER OF CHOICE • ELECTRICAL • INSTRUMENT PH: 0800 4 WELLS (0800 493 557) WWW.WELLS.CO.NZ • AUTOMATION & CONTROLS • FIELD SERVICE SOLUTIONS • EV CHARGE POINT ASSET MANAGEMENT
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