The Roaring Meg hydro scheme refers to two small hydro electricity power stations fed by the Roaring Meg Dam. The scheme is located next to the Roaring Meg Stream in the Kawarau Gorge

Kawarau Gorge

The Kawarau Gorge is a major river gorge, located in Central Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand. The Kawarau River flows through the gorge, which is located between the towns of Queenstown and Cromwell, and part of the route of State Highway 6 also follows the gorge.The gorge begins some 30...

, near Cromwell

Cromwell, New Zealand

Cromwell is a town in Central Otago in the Otago region of New Zealand.It is situated between State Highway 6 and State Highway 8 leading to the Lindis Pass, 75 km northeast, and Alexandra, 33 km south. The road to Alexandra winds through the Cromwell Gorge...

, New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. Roaring Meg is owned and operated by Pioneer Generation.

History

The scheme was built by the Otago Central Power Board starting in 1934 and commissioned 1936, at a cost of 40,000 pounds.. At times the lower station has been flooded by the Kawarau River

Kawarau River

Kawarau River drains Lake Wakatipu, in northwestern Otago, New Zealand. The river flows generally eastwards for about 60 km and passes through the steep Kawarau Gorge until it joins Lake Dunstan near Cromwell. The Shotover River enters it from the north; the Nevis River enters it from the south...

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Layout

The scheme starts with the 10m high Roaring Meg Dam located 3.6km upstream from the confluence with the Kawarau River. The intake flows into a series of pipes connected to the power stations. The upper station discharges into both a pipe feeding the lower station and the Roaring Meg Stream, while the lower station discharges into the Kawarau River.

Performance

Annual energy production from both stations is approximately 30 GWh.

Lower Roaring Meg station:

• Two turbines
• Operating Head 304m
• Combined Output 3000 kW
• Flow 1300 litres per second

Upper Roaring Meg station:

• Two turbines
• Operating Head 125m
• Combined Output 1263 kW
• Flow 1300 litres per second