Meremere Power Station is a former coal-fired power station on the Waikato River at Meremere, approximately 64 kilometres (40 mi) south of Auckland, New Zealand. Meremere was the first major coal-fired power station in New Zealand, and was commissioned to help meet the increasing electricity demands of New Zealand, and especially Auckland, after World War II.
| Meremere Power Station | |
|---|---|
 Meremere power station and Waikato River from pā site in 2019 | |
 | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Location | Meremere, Waikato |
| Coordinates | 37°18′51″S 175°4′6″E / 37.31417°S 175.06833°E |
| Status | Decommissioned |
| Commission date | 1958 |
| Decommission date | 1991 |
| Owner | Electricity Corporation of New Zealand |
| Thermal power station | |
| Primary fuel | Coal |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 7 |
| Nameplate capacity | 210 MW |
The first six 30MW units were commissioned in 1958. The commissioning of Meremere, and Atiamuri Dam further upstream on the Waikato River, meant post-war electricity restrictions were finally lifted in December that year. An additional seventh unit commissioned in April 1967.
Two-thirds of Meremere's annual 800,000-tonne coal requirements was met by the nearby Maramarua coalfield, with coal delivered to the power station by a twin aerial ropeway. The remaining one-third of coal came from other mines, and was railed to Meremere via a private siding off the North Island Main Trunk.
Meremere last produced power in December 1990 and was decommissioned in March 1991 after 33 years in service.[1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Neil Wembridge, Luc Poloni, Nigel McGimpsey, Noel Hall (3 September 2009). "Thermal Power Station Advice Report".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)