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Tongariro Power Scheme

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72-471: The Tongariro Power Scheme is a 360 MW hydroelectricity scheme in the central North Island of New Zealand. The scheme diverts water from tributaries of the Rangitikei , Whangaehu , Whanganui , and Tongariro rivers. These rivers drain a 2,600-square-kilometre (1,000 sq mi) area including Ruapehu , Ngauruhoe , Tongariro and the western Kaimanawa Ranges . The water diverted from these rivers

144-546: A light bulb with a power rating of 100 W is turned on for one hour, the energy used is 100 watt hours (W·h), 0.1 kilowatt hour, or 360  kJ . This same amount of energy would light a 40-watt bulb for 2.5 hours, or a 50-watt bulb for 2 hours. Power stations are rated using units of power, typically megawatts or gigawatts (for example, the Three Gorges Dam in China is rated at approximately 22 gigawatts). This reflects

216-695: A control room at Tokaanu. Rangipō Power Station is located on the Eastern Diversion. The station was commissioned in 1983, and was built 63 metres (207 ft) underground beneath the Kaimanawa Forest Park , to minimise visual impact. It was the second underground hydro station in New Zealand, after Manapōuri Power Station . Water flows into the powerhouse through a vertical penstock 180 metres (590 ft) long which splits into two horizontal penstocks 150 metres (490 ft) long. The powerhouse cavern

288-671: A management plan to achieve an increase in the numbers of trout and kōaro. In 2013 the Waitangi Tribunal found that the Crown had not recompensed the iwi for the damage to the Lake and for its use to generate electricity. A 2015 Tribunal report acknowledged the harm that the Scheme had done not just to the Lake but to Ngāti Tūwharetoa's economic, social, cultural and spiritual well-being which included reduction in income from fishing licences. The Wai 178 claim

360-466: A mound in 1977. Megawatt The watt (symbol: W ) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m ⋅s . It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer . The watt is named in honor of James Watt (1736–1819), an 18th-century Scottish inventor , mechanical engineer , and chemist who improved

432-530: A period of one year: equivalent to approximately 114 megawatts of constant power output. The watt-second is a unit of energy, equal to the joule . One kilowatt hour is 3,600,000 watt seconds. While a watt per hour is a unit of rate of change of power with time, it is not correct to refer to a watt (or watt-hour) as a watt per hour. Lake Otamangakau Lake Otamangakau is a small artificial lake located within Tongariro National Park in

504-529: A preliminary report in 1957. The government authorised the scheme in 1958 through an Order in Council which allowed water to be taken from five catchments without giving notice or gaining consents and approved the scheme in 1964. Gibb and Partners conducted further field studies and more detailed design which culminated in their report in 1962 which recommended the construction of a power scheme in five stages: The final project differed from Gibb's design: only one dam

576-460: A solution. In 2010 Genesis and Ngāti Rangi formed a partnership to find ways to restore water flows in the rivers. Genesis's resource consent expires in 2039. In 2017 the Crown and Ngāti Rangi reached an agreement in principle to settle historical Treaty of Waitangi claims followed by a settlement deed in 2018 which included arrangements for the governance of the Whangaehu River and protection of

648-479: A time when Māori values were either not considered or dismissed. The Ministry of Works met with Ngāti Tūwharetoa in 1955 to discuss land rights and fishing but the other iwi with interests in the diversion of the Whanganui River and its headwaters were not consulted before or during construction. These included Ngāti Rangi (the iwi south of Mt Ruapehu stretching from the Whanganui River to the Whangaehu River and

720-535: A turbine, which generates 648 MW e (i.e. electricity). Other SI prefixes are sometimes used, for example gigawatt electrical (GW e ). The International Bureau of Weights and Measures , which maintains the SI-standard, states that further information about a quantity should not be attached to the unit symbol but instead to the quantity symbol (e.g., P th = 270 W rather than P = 270 W th ) and so these unit symbols are non-SI. In compliance with SI,

792-424: A unit of time, namely 1 J/s. In this new definition, 1 absolute watt = 1.00019 international watts. Texts written before 1948 are likely to be using the international watt, which implies caution when comparing numerical values from this period with the post-1948 watt. In 1960, the 11th General Conference on Weights and Measures adopted the absolute watt into the International System of Units (SI) as

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864-575: Is 325 metres (1,066 ft) long and 68 metres (223 ft) high. Water from Lake Moawhango is then diverted into the 19.2-kilometre (11.9 mi) Moawhango Tunnel to the Rangipō Dam. The Moawhango tunnel was built by the Italian construction company Codelfa-Cogefar using experienced Italian tunnellers. It was begun in 1969 but due to difficult tunnelling conditions, which included faultlines, rock falls and incoming water, it took 10 years to complete. In 1980

936-483: Is 55 metres (180 ft) long, 18 metres (59 ft) wide and 36 metres (118 ft) high, and is reached via a 650-metre-long (2,130 ft) access tunnel. The power station has two hydro turbine generator sets, each rated at 60 MW, giving the station a total capacity of 120 MW. The tailrace tunnel, which flows into the Tongariro River, is 3-kilometre (1.9 mi) long. Rangipō Power Station connects to

1008-542: Is currently operated by electricity generation company Genesis Energy . From its inception to the current day tensions have existed between the need to generate electricity and cultural and environmental issues. Plans to realise the potential of electricity generation in the central North Island volcanic plateau date back to the early years of the 20th century. A Californian engineer, L.M. Hancock, visited New Zealand in 1903 and, with engineer P.S. Hay , surveyed localities where power could be generated. In 1904 Hay's report to

1080-453: Is in the middle part of the lake and extends over a length of around 900 m in a north-west-south-east direction. The deepest part of the lake is 12 m. The reservoir is connected to two other reservoirs via two canals, one via the southwestern Otamangakau Canal, which connects Lake Te Whaiau, which in turn carries its waters to Lake Otamangakau, and the other via the Wairehu, which emanates from

1152-700: Is named after the Scottish inventor James Watt . The unit name was proposed by C. William Siemens in August 1882 in his President's Address to the Fifty-Second Congress of the British Association for the Advancement of Science . Noting that units in the practical system of units were named after leading physicists, Siemens proposed that watt might be an appropriate name for a unit of power. Siemens defined

1224-557: Is sent through canals and tunnels to generate electricity at three hydro power stations, Rangipo (120 MW), Tokaanu (240 MW) and Mangaio (2 MW). The water is then discharged into Lake Taupō where it adds to the water storage in the lake and enables additional electricity generation in the succession of power stations down the Waikato River . The scheme generates approximately 1350 GWh of electricity annually, and contributes 4 percent of New Zealand's electricity generation. It

1296-523: Is the rate at which electrical work is performed when a current of one ampere (A) flows across an electrical potential difference of one volt (V), meaning the watt is equivalent to the volt-ampere (the latter unit, however, is used for a different quantity from the real power of an electrical circuit). 1   W = 1   V ⋅ A . {\displaystyle \mathrm {1~W=1~V{\cdot }A} .} Two additional unit conversions for watt can be found using

1368-811: The Newcomen engine with his own steam engine in 1776. Watt's invention was fundamental for the Industrial Revolution . When an object's velocity is held constant at one meter per second against a constant opposing force of one newton , the rate at which work is done is one watt. 1   W = 1   J / s = 1   N ⋅ m / s = 1   k g ⋅ m 2 ⋅ s − 3 . {\displaystyle \mathrm {1~W=1~J{/}s=1~N{\cdot }m{/}s=1~kg{\cdot }m^{2}{\cdot }s^{-3}} .} In terms of electromagnetism , one watt

1440-492: The Ruapehu District . Lake Otamangakau is located approximately 11 km (6.8 mi) southwest of Lake Taupō . The man-made reservoir has a size of around 1.8 km (0.69 sq mi) and extends over its northern arm in a 45-degree left curve over a length of around 3.1 km (1.2 sq mi) and over its eastern arm to the southern tip over a length of around 2.8 km (1.7 mi). Its widest point

1512-404: The Tongariro National Park catchment were taken into the scheme. Changes in river flows can cause silt build-up, changes in water velocity, temperature and water purity which in turn affects trout spawning and fishing, and the habitats of native species such as eels. This gave rise to conflicts between environmental and cultural issues and the need to generate electricity. Desmond Bovey's book on

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1584-518: The Crown on the use of the lake for electricity generation". As a result of construction work on access roads and near spawning streams on the Western Diversion the decline of fish stocks in the Lake was being reported in the late 1960s. During the construction phase the Ministry of Works wanted greater control over, and ownership of, the lake. The iwi would not concede ownership and in a 1972 agreement

1656-513: The Crown was allowed control over the water for electricity generation but discharged from any compensation claims caused by environmental damage or adverse effects on the fishing.  In 1991 the Trust lodged a claim, Wai 178, with the Waitangi Tribunal asking that the agreement be renegotiated and that the Trust be paid for the use of the lake. Little study had been done on the effect of the scheme on

1728-709: The Eastern Diversion. Lake Rotoaira is kept at a raised level by the Poutu Dam. Water stored in Lake Rotoaira from both the Eastern and Western Diversions goes from the northern end of Lake Rotoaira into the 6.1-kilometre (3.8 mi) Tokaanu Tunnel to the Tokaanu Power Station. The tunnel was constructed by Downer and Associates between 1968 and 1973 and was beset with difficulties caused by water inflow and thermal activity. The tunnel passes under State Highway 47 and through

1800-707: The Environment in 1973. Protests against the scheme arose as early as 1955 from the Waimarino Acclimatisation Society who opposed the Whanganui River diversion into Lake Rotoaira; this was followed in the early 1960s by concerns about the effects on the Whanganui River and the Whanganui harbour. In 1964 the Taumarunui Borough Council raised concerns that reduction of the flow of water in

1872-474: The Lake's fisheries before the scheme but by 1997, when the resource consent came up for renewal, the iwi and the Trust were concerned that trout stocks were declining. It was found that the scheme had caused a decline of trout and kōaro and an increase of bullies . Renewal of the resource consent in 2001 required Genesis, under the Resource Management Act 1991 , to consult with the Trust to implement

1944-518: The Mangaio Stream. Construction of the aqueduct and tunnel was completed in 1975. Lake Moawhango is an artificial lake made by the damming of the Moawhango River and Mangaio Stream. The dam, designed by Gibb and Partners, was the last major project in New Zealand to be designed in imperial units . It is New Zealand's highest gravity arch dam in both altitude and physical height.Filled in 1979 it

2016-476: The Moawhango River where the dam is now and the river was a key waterway used for east-west travel and trade with east coast iwi Ngāti Whitikaupeka . The Planning Tribunal/Environment Court and High Court hearings in the late 1980s and early 1990s began a process of including Māori perspectives and values and consultation on the use of rivers. Genesis Energy signed an agreement with Ngāti Tūwharetoa to mitigate

2088-470: The Moawhango River), Tamahaki and Whanganui iwi. For the iwi the rivers and streams are tūpuna awa and are accorded ancestral heritage. The well-being of people cannot be separated from the well-being of the natural world as the spiritual and physical worlds are inter-connected. Tūpuna awa include the river beds, catchment areas, the habitats, fish and other biodiversity. Ngati Rangi maintain that

2160-565: The Poutu Stream. Before the scheme the Poutu Stream was the natural outlet for Lake Rotoaira but once the scheme was operational the Tokaanu Tunnel became the lake's principal outlet. The lake level was raised about 50 centimetres (20 in). In Lake Rotoaira water from the Eastern Diversion merges with water from the Western Diversion. Three power stations exist on the scheme, Rangipō, Tokaanu and Mangaio. The power stations are managed from

2232-479: The Rangipō Dam acts as a head pond to the Rangipō Power Station. Water from the lake is then taken into the 8-kilometre (5.0 mi) Rangipō Headrace Tunnel to Rangipō Power Station, 63 metres (207 ft) below ground level . The headrace tunnel, completed in 1980, and the access tunnel to the power station, completed in 1976, were both built by Codelfa-Cogefa. After passing through Rangipō Power Station,

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2304-598: The Resource Management Act 1991. Genesis objected to the 10 year period taking the case to the High Court which in 2006 found that the shorter period was weighted in the iwi's favour and requested the Environment Court to reconsider the term. The iwi appealed the High Court decision. In 2009 the High Court found that the Environment Court could not reduce the consent to 10 years and required the two parties to find

2376-476: The Tongariro National Park put it this way: Depending on your sensibilities, the scheme can be viewed as either a bold and ingenious feat of engineering, or alternatively as a high-handed grab of the headwaters of almost every river on the volcanic plateau. The truth, in my opinion, is that it is both - technically brilliant and morally brazen. The Tongariro Power Scheme was conceived and commissioned at

2448-513: The Whakapapa Intake back into the river was about 5% of the normal flow. In 2012 Genesis partnered with local iwi Ngāti Hikairo on an eel restoration programme which enabled eels to maintain the migratory patterns necessary for their life cycle. Since 2011 Genesis has also partnered with the Department of Conservation on a blue duck/whio recovery programme which involves trapping predators on

2520-523: The Whakapapa, Wanganui and Mangatepopo rivers. Lake Rotoaira has cultural and historical significance to local iwi Ngāti Tūwharetoa and trout fishing licences, which are managed by the Lake Rotoaira Trust, are an important source of revenue. Ownership of the lake was vested in the Trust in 1956 with the trustees representing the hapu of Ngāti Tūwharetoa. One of the Trust's roles was "to negotiate with

2592-541: The Whangaehu River, Hay noted that it was polluted by volcanic acids and chemicals making it unsuitable. Between the 1920s and 1950s a number of investigations on the potential of the volcanic plateau were undertaken by engineers, mostly in the Public Works Department. In 1955 the British consulting engineering company Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners was contracted to conduct preliminary investigations; they produced

2664-467: The above equation and Ohm's law . 1   W = 1   V 2 / Ω = 1   A 2 ⋅ Ω , {\displaystyle \mathrm {1~W=1~V^{2}/\Omega =1~A^{2}{\cdot }\Omega } ,} where ohm ( Ω {\displaystyle \Omega } ) is the SI derived unit of electrical resistance . The watt

2736-588: The actual Whangaehu River, but not taking any water from it due to the fact it drains Mount Ruapehu's crater lake and is too acidic. At the end of the aqueduct, near the Desert Road ( State Highway 1 ), water is then diverted through the 1.4-kilometre (0.87 mi) Mangaio Tunnel under the State Highway. The water goes either to the Mangaio Power Station or to a drop structure to enter Lake Moawhango via

2808-474: The eastern arm of the lake Canal with Lake Rotoaira , which is located southeast of Lake Otamangakau. The waters of Lake Otamangakau flow over the Wairehu Canal to Lake Rotoaira, which is 564 m, 47 m lower than Lake Otamangakau. It is surrounded by extensive wetlands to the east and south. Lake Otamangakau, which is located at an altitude of 611 m, is fed by a few smaller streams from the surrounding area and

2880-543: The effects of the scheme creating the Ngāti Tūwharetoa Genesis Energy Committee which distributes funds for educational, cultural and environmental purposes. Genesis continues to meet with iwi and relevant fishery, recreational and environmental groups, and the Defence Force to mitigate the effects of the scheme on the environment. As far back as 1955 concerns were raised about the effects of

2952-515: The energy company Ørsted A/S uses the unit megawatt for produced electrical power and the equivalent unit megajoule per second for delivered heating power in a combined heat and power station such as Avedøre Power Station . When describing alternating current (AC) electricity, another distinction is made between the watt and the volt-ampere . While these units are equivalent for simple resistive circuits , they differ when loads exhibit electrical reactance . Radio stations usually report

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3024-539: The flow of water from the mountains to the sea must not be broken. It is also an offence to Māori to mix waters from different tribal areas, or catchments. The rivers and springs were important sources of food. Eels lived in the tributaries of the Whangaehu River and would have had to pass through the river to migrate to the sea. Ngati Rangi also bathed in the Whangaehu for its healing properties. Fishing also took place on

3096-513: The government New Zealand Water-Powers identified a number of potential sites around the central plateau. These included Lake Rotoaira , the Whakapapa River and the Whangaehu River . A dam could be built on the Poutu River feeding into Lake Rotoaira and the amount of power generated could be increased by adding water from Tongariro or Ngauruhoe. While he identified the generation potential of

3168-573: The iwi and Genesis. The following rivers have been monitored for clarity, temperature, acidity and oxygen levels: Tokiāhuru, Wāhianoa , Mākahikatoa, Tomowai and Whangaehu. When the project was approved in 1965 it was agreed that the Historic Places Trust (now Heritage New Zealand ) would work with Ngāti Tūwharetoa to identify and protect sites on Lake Rotoaira and the Tongariro. Site surveys and excavations were carried out from 1966 to 1971 during

3240-468: The iwi appealed to the Environment Court on the grounds that 35 years was too long. Ngāti Rangi requested that their values be considered alongside western science, recognition of their rights of ownership of tūpuna awa and for restoration of cultural and spiritual values lost in the diversion of the river flows. In 2004 the Court reduced the resource consent to 10 years taking on board cultural considerations under

3312-422: The lake experiences its regular outflow via a small stream that flows into the Whanganui River around 1.7 km (1.1 mi) further. Otamangakau Dam is located on its southwest side and is designed as a gravity dam. It has a length of around 300 m with a crown width of around 12 m, as Forestry Road runs over the dam. Directly towards the lake, the barrier measures around 114 m at sea level and around 60 m on

3384-460: The maximum power output it can achieve at any point in time. A power station's annual energy output, however, would be recorded using units of energy (not power), typically gigawatt hours. Major energy production or consumption is often expressed as terawatt hours for a given period; often a calendar year or financial year. One terawatt hour of energy is equal to a sustained power delivery of one terawatt for one hour, or approximately 114 megawatts for

3456-547: The overall development, the Tokaanu Stream, an important trout spawning stream, was preserved by diverting it through an aqueduct under the road surface. The Tokaanu tailrace canal discharges into Lake Taupō at Waihi Bay. The Eastern Diversion takes water from 22 streams which are tributaries of the Whangaehu River . Intake structures on the streams feed the water into the 8.4-kilometre (5.2 mi) long underground Wāhianoa Aqueduct. The aqueduct heads eastward, passing under

3528-488: The power of their transmitters in units of watts, referring to the effective radiated power . This refers to the power that a half-wave dipole antenna would need to radiate to match the intensity of the transmitter's main lobe . The terms power and energy are closely related but distinct physical quantities. Power is the rate at which energy is generated or consumed and hence is measured in units (e.g. watts) that represent energy per unit time . For example, when

3600-416: The project's construction phase by Trevor Hosking an archaeologist contracted by the Trust to work with the Ministry of Works. Hosking recorded 187 sites, many of them post-European contact. They included settlements, defensive sites and burial sites, some of which were excavated. A small settlement, dating from around the 1840s, was found at Opōtaka at the northern end of Lake Rotoaira and partial excavation of

3672-485: The reform of the energy sector and break-up of ECNZ the Tongariro scheme was transferred to Genesis Energy . The Western Diversion was the first part of the Scheme to be constructed between 1964 and 1971. It starts at the Whakapapa River, taking water into a 16.5-kilometre (10.3 mi) long tunnel to Lake Te Whaiau ; intake structures collect water from the Õkupata, Taurewa, Tāwhitikuri, and Mangatepōpō streams along

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3744-508: The remains of two missionaries Te Manihera and Kereopa who had been killed at Tokaanu in 1847. All the remains were reburied and the missionaries interred at St Pauls Church in Tokaanu. A site known as McDonnell's Redoubt was located near the Poutu Canal; built by Te Kooti it was later occupied by Colonel McDonnell. It was reconstructed but due to instability and high maintenance it was returned to

3816-462: The river would affect the operation of the Piriaka power station but an agreement was reached to maintain water flows. Also in 1964 the artist Peter McIntyre , who had a holiday house at Kakahi on the Whanganui River stated that water should not be taken when rivers belong to all New Zealanders and that by interrupting and reducing the flow of water there would be pollution and loss of trout fishing. He

3888-467: The river's catchment. The 2019 legislation created the framework called Te Waiū-o-Te-Ika which recognises the intrinsic connection between the awa and the iwi and hapū of the Whangaehu. Some permanent flows have been reinstated in several waterways namely the Tokiāhuru, Wahianoa, Mākahikatoa and Tomowai streams. Monitoring the health of the Whangaehu catchment area has been part of the partnership between

3960-466: The saddle between Pihanga and Mount Tihia to penstocks dropping 180 metres (590 ft) to the Tokaanu Power Station. After passing through the station, the water is discharged into the 3.8-kilometre (2.4 mi) Tokaanu Tailrace Canal. The canal passes under the Tokaanu Tailrace Bridge, a combined road bridge and aqueduct. State Highway 41 travels over the top of the bridge. As part of

4032-558: The scheme on trout fisheries in the Tongariro River, in particular maintaining water flow for trout spawning, the effect on the feeding grounds in Lake Taupo and Lake Rotoaira, the access to fishing pools on the river, the removal of sediment from the river and the effect of the Rangipō power station on trout. The Environmental Impact Report on the Rangipō project was submitted to the Commission for

4104-519: The single-circuit 220 kV Bunnythorpe to Wairakei line (BPE-WRK-A) via a short 220 kV twin-circuit deviation line (RPO-DEV-A). Tokaanu Power Station is located on the Rotoaira Diversion of the scheme on the northern slopes of Mount Tihia. It was commissioned in 1973. Water from Lake Rotoaira is taken through the Tokaanu Tunnel into four penstocks. The power station has four hydro turbine generator sets, each rated at 60 MW, giving

4176-465: The site revealed several houses and a collection of traditional and European artefacts. In 2022 the local hapū received funding to restore the site. The site on State Highway 47 can be visited. After discussions with Ngāti Tūwharetoa Hosking excavated the Te Waiariki burial site which was in the path of the Tokaanu tailrace tunnel; the site was of great significance to the iwi. He found 55 burials including

4248-632: The slopes of Mt Ngauruhoe, the Waihohonu Stream flows into a concrete gravity dam (intake structure) 15 metres (49 ft) high and 32 metres (105 ft) long. It was constructed in 1984. Water from the dam is then diverted via the 960-metre (3,150 ft) Waihohonu Tunnel to the Rangipō Dam. This tunnel was built by the Ministry of Works and completed in 1981. The Rangipō Dam is a concrete gravity dam 23 metres (75 ft) high and 150 metres (490 ft) long. It contains 5700 tonnes of reinforcing steel and 81,000 cubic metres of concrete. The lake behind

4320-455: The station a total capacity of 240 MW. Tokaanu houses the control room for the entire Tongariro Power Scheme. Tokaanu Power Station connects to the two single-circuit 220 kV Bunnythorpe to Whakamaru lines (BPE-WKM-A and BPE-WKM-B) directly south of the station. The power station was constructed in 2007–2008 and commissioned in 2008. It has a generating capacity of almost 2 MW. Water from over 60 rivers and streams flowing from

4392-577: The tunnel held the world record for being a hydro tunnel constructed from two headings. The tunnel was commissioned in December 1979 on the feast of Santa Barbara , the patron saint of tunnellers, and opened by the prime minister Robert Muldoon . Water from the Moawhango Tunnel and the Waihohonu Stream flows into the Rangipo Dam which is built on the Tongariro River. To the west of Rangipō, originating on

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4464-559: The unit of power. In the electric power industry , megawatt electrical ( MWe or MW e ) refers by convention to the electric power produced by a generator, while megawatt thermal or thermal megawatt (MWt, MW t , or MWth, MW th ) refers to thermal power produced by the plant. For example, the Embalse nuclear power plant in Argentina uses a fission reactor to generate 2,109 MW t (i.e. heat), which creates steam to drive

4536-556: The unit within the existing system of practical units as "the power conveyed by a current of an Ampère through the difference of potential of a Volt". In October 1908, at the International Conference on Electric Units and Standards in London, so-called international definitions were established for practical electrical units. Siemens' definition was adopted as the international watt. (Also used: 1 A × 1 Ω.) The watt

4608-493: The water flows through the 3-kilometre (1.9 mi) Rangipō Tailrace Tunnel to the Poutū Intake at Beggs Pool on the Tongariro River. After taking on more water from the Tongariro River (which now includes water from the eastern slopes of Ngauruhoe and Tongariro), the water is diverted through the 2.8-kilometre (1.7 mi) long concrete-lined Poutū Tunnel into the 5.6-kilometre (3.5 mi) long concrete-lined Poutū Canal which

4680-585: The way. The Te Whaiau dam is an earth-fill dam 13.7 metres (45 ft) high and 54.8 metres (180 ft) metres long. Water from the Whanganui River is diverted via a short tunnel into the Te Whaiau Stream, which joins the water from the Whakapapa and other intakes, all flowing into the Te Whaiau dam. Both tunnels, begun in 1967, were constructed by the Italian construction company Codelfa-Cogefa which specialised in tunnelling. Water from Lake Te Whaiau flows into

4752-421: The Ōtamangākau Canal which feeds Lake Otamangakau , where water also flows from the Ōtamangākau Stream. Lake Ōtamangākau is formed by an earth-fill dam 20 metres (66 ft) high and 259.9 metres (853 ft) long. From Lake Ōtamangākau, water from the Western Diversion is diverted into the 7-kilometre (4.3 mi) Wairehu Canal, which travels under State Highway 47 and into Lake Rotoaira, joining water from

4824-504: Was built at Moawhango, the Kaimanawa station was not built, and an additional power station was built at Mangaio. The four stage project commenced in 1964 and was completed in 1983: the Western Diversion from 1964 to 1971, the Tokaanu project (Rotoaira Diversion) from 1966 to 1973, the Eastern Diversion from 1969 to 1979, and the Rangipo project (Tongariro Diversion) from 1974 to 1983. The scheme

4896-533: Was built by the Ministry of Works and the project engineers were Warren Gibson and Bert Dekker. The New Zealand Electricity Department (NZED) operated the generation and transmission of electricity. NZED became part of the Ministry of Energy before becoming part of the Electricity Corporation of New Zealand (ECNZ) in 1987. The government transferred all generation and transmission to ECNZ in 1990. In 1999 with

4968-408: Was constructed by the Ministry of Works and Development The Canal, which is on average 4.3 metres (14 ft) deep, travels under State Highway 1 and under State Highway 46 to the Poutū Dam. The dam, which is 13 metres (43 ft) high and 150 metres (490 ft) wide, has two functions: it controls the water flowing into Lake Rotoaira via the Rotoaira Channel and controls outflow from the lake into

5040-420: Was defined as equal to 10 units of power in the practical system of units. The "international units" were dominant from 1909 until 1948. After the 9th General Conference on Weights and Measures in 1948, the international watt was redefined from practical units to absolute units (i.e., using only length, mass, and time). Concretely, this meant that 1 watt was defined as the quantity of energy transferred in

5112-418: Was finally settled in the Ngāti Tūwharetoa Claims Settlement Act 2018. Ngāti Rangi had been opposed to the use of water from rivers and streams in the Eastern Diversion since the 1970s. Diverting water into the project caused waterways to dry up and the loss of wildlife. In 2001 Genesis was granted resource consents to continue diverting water from the Whanganui, Whangaehu and Moawhango rivers for 35 years but

5184-575: Was supported by zoologist John Salmon who called for research into the long-term environmental effects of the scheme. Once the Western Diversion had been commissioned in 1971 opposition continued from the New Zealand Canoeing Association who called for higher flow in the Whanganui River and the National Water Conservation Organisation requesting that desirable minimum flows be fixed. In 1987 water flowing from

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