Hydro Lakes Receive Welcome Boost From Weekend Weather

Strong winds and rain over the weekend have helped ease the need for hydro generation by Meridian’s Waitaki River power stations.

Recent inflows have seen storage at Lake Pūkaki nudge upwards, while Lake Manapōuri storage is now above average for the first time since mid-June.

“The weekend saw some moderate rainfall to help lift lake levels and it’s good to see more rain in the forecast across the week,” says Chris Ewers, Meridian GM Wholesale.

“It’s a battle of inches at the moment, and things are definitely heading in the right direction.

“It’s been great to see the significant contribution of wind towards New Zealand’s needs. Over the last week Harapaki Wind Farm has been regularly pushing out more than 130MW, and our other wind farms throughout New Zealand have also been generating near the top of their ranges.”

Over the last week Meridian’s six wind farms produced daily totals of up to 9GWh, which has exceeded the daily generation totals from Meridian’s six power stations along the Waitaki Hydro Scheme. Harapaki is Meridian’s newest wind farm, situated in Hawke’s Bay, and capable of producing up to 176MW from its 41 turbines.

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