Meridian Energy has received final approval from New Zealand’s Environment Court to continue operating the Waitaki Power Scheme for a further 35 years.
The ruling allows the company to retain the scheme’s existing storage levels, operating conditions and generation capacity under new resource consents.
The Waitaki Power Scheme is New Zealand’s largest and most flexible hydroelectric system, comprising six power stations with a combined installed capacity of 1,553MW, representing almost 30% of the country’s installed hydro capacity.
Meridian Chief Executive Mike Roan said the decision was important for the country’s electricity system. “The Waitaki Power Scheme has long been the backbone of New Zealand’s electricity system, and changing the way that it operates would have had enormous impacts for every New Zealander.
“Hydro generation is the cheapest and cleanest firming solution for New Zealand’s electricity system and knowing we can continue to operate Waitaki for another 35 years provides certainty to our business, the electricity system and the economy. It also means we can step up the work we’re doing to explore opportunities to add more storage and generation to this scheme,” Roan said.
Meridian said it would immediately implement the new consents, which include expanded indigenous biodiversity management programmes across the catchment to be delivered through the Department of Conservation.
