North Bank tunnel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- New Zealand
| North Bank tunnel project | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country |
|
| Location | Waitaki River, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 44°48′S 170°37′E / 44.8°S 170.61°E |
| Status | Indefinitely suspended proposal |
| Owner | Meridian Energy |
| Thermal power station | |
| Primary fuel | Hydropower |
| Power generation | |
| Nameplate capacity | 200 MW (270,000 hp) |
The North Bank tunnel concept was a hydroelectric scheme being developed by Meridian Energy on the Waitaki River in Canterbury, New Zealand. The $993 million project was expected to produce an additional 1,100 to 1,400 gigawatt-hours (4,000 to 5,000 TJ) per annum, and take up to 260 cubic metres per second (9,200 cu ft/s) of water from Lake Waitaki. The project would have resulted in a 275 gigawatt-hours (990 TJ) per annum reduction in output from the Waitaki hydro station.[1]
Discovery of geological faultlines prompted a rethink of the project, including consideration of using a canal instead of a tunnel.[2]
Work on the project was suspended in January 2013 due to a forecast of flat demand for electricity for the next five years.[3] Resource consents for the scheme lapsed in 2016.[4]
This project is at a similar location to Project Aqua, a hydroelectric power proposal abandoned by Meridian in 2004.
